Love Thyne Enemy
by Smashed Howler
Summary: Why is Hermione being summoned to Hogwarts during the summer holidays? Who are the DeFontes? And, what does a certain blonde Slytherin have to do with them? This time, it's Hermione's turn to be the hero. 6th book alternate ending. HG.DM
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Why is Hermione Granger being summoned to Hogwarts during the summer holidays? Who are the DeFontes? And, what does a certain blonde Slytherin have to do with them? This time, it's Hermione's turn to be the hero of the Wizarding World. Will she be able to balance two missions appointed to her by Dumbledore while trying to complete her sixth year at Hogwarts? Only the end of the school year holds the answer to all these questions.

Disclaimer: This is pennames bloodyhell92 and 1 4 2 write working together on this wondrous piece of writing! And, though we may be brilliant at times, we were not brilliant enough to come up with the legendary Harry Potter series, nor the characters within it. Therefore, we own no rights to the original characters, no matter how much we wish we did.

Hello all! Thanks for stumbling upon our little story! We hope that you give it the proper chance that it deserves. With that said, on with the story!

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A young girl with dark, unruly locks looked out her bedroom window, her chocolate orbs searching. What was she searching for? She wasn't quite sure, but she knew that there had to be something, anything, out there. But, nothing moved; the trees didn't sway with the wind, no birds chirped merrily or glided across the blue, cloudless sky. Not a single person could be seen mowing the lawn or jogging alongside the deserted streets. There was absolutely no sign of life.

Sighing with frustration, Hermione turned from the window and plopped down on her bed. There was nothing to do, and Hermione hated it! Usually her summer breaks consisted of days at the Burrow or traveling with her parents. But, alas, her parents decided to forgo a trip this summer, and Ron's family was forced to take care of a very sick Great Aunt Tessie and had strongly urged both her and Harry to stay away.

Harry had been stuck at Privet Drive for the summer; so, all Hermione had were letters exchanged between friends via owl. But, the letters just wouldn't come fast enough! Hermione had no muggle friends to speak of. When she was younger, most of the kids thought her strange and abnormal for being able to do certain things they did not understand. The ones who had been kind enough to befriend her, however, lost touch with her when she began Hogwarts. So, Hermione truly was stuck for the summer.

"Honey!" Hermione heard her mother shout, most likely from the base of the staircase.

"Coming!" she called out in reply as she heaved herself off the bed and began to go downstairs. "What is it?" she asked once she reached the landing.

"Your father and I have to go into the office today. Are you going to be alright by yourself for a bit?"

Outwardly, Hermione wanted to scream, "Of course! I'm a big girl now! I can take care of myself!" But inwardly, she smiled at her mother's protectiveness. "I'll be fine, mum."

Not thoroughly convinced, her mother nodded and said, "Well… you know the number if you need anything…"

Hermione laughed. "Go on! Shoo!" she said, watching as her father walked in, holding two light jackets.

"Ready dear?" He asked his wife.

"Ready." They turned to leave, but her mother stopped short and turned back towards her daughter. "We should be back by dinner time, but if we aren't, help yourself to some leftovers."

Both of Hermione's parents bid her farewell with a small wave before they opened the door and left.

"Well, what now?" she asked herself aloud.

She waltzed into their family room and plopped down on the couch as she turned on the TV with the remote. As she flipped through the channels, Hermione crossed her arms over her chest in boredom. Nothing seemed to catch her attention. When she successfully went through every channel and not finding a single, decent thing to watch, Hermione switched tactics. "Perhaps a movie will suffice."

But as her eyes glanced over the titles of the movies alongside the television, nothing seemed to be interesting enough for her. Then, as if by fate, her eyes landed upon one of her father's favorite films. As she read the title, her mind began turning and turning.

Smiling to herself and getting a mischievous look to her eyes, she said, "Dare I….?" She weighed her options. It was either spice things up a bit and be a little "risky," or play it safe and do what she always did, day after day. Ever since she had seen the movie with her father, she had always wanted to try it. And now was as good of a time as any.

Deciding to throw all caution to the wind, Hermione raced to her bedroom to grab a particular CD before going across the hall to her parents' bedroom. She stopped short of the closed door, unsure. Slowly, she stepped closer and placed her hand upon the handle.

She hadn't been in her parents' bedroom for so long, not since she was a little girl. It felt weird to her now. Tentatively, she turned the knob, the door creaking on its hinges. Slowly, she stepped inside and took a look around.

The room was dark, for she hadn't turned on the lights. But, sunlight danced in through a crack in the curtains and flittered across the carpet. The room was a neat, tidy space with pictures framing the walls and knick-knacks loitering shelves about the room. An armoire was pushed up against the right wall, and the king sized bed rested on the opposite side.

Hermione ignored all of it as she started determinedly forward. What she desired was straight ahead of her, to the right of her parents' personal bathroom- their walk in closet. Opening the door, almost timidly, she reached out and took hold of one of her father's dress shirts. She smiled wildly and eagerly ripped it from the hanger.

Then, she looked around the room and found her mother's vanity up against the wall by the door. She strolled over, and her eyes roamed over the tubes of lipstick, eyeliner pens, and mascara until she found a pair of sunglasses. She picked them up before heading out of her parents' room and closing the door shut behind her.

Going downstairs, she walked into the bathroom to change, neglecting her pants altogether, and then headed towards the CD player in the living room. She placed it inside the contraption and pressed the "skip" button until she found the song she had wanted. Then, she turned the volume to full blast:

_Just take those old records off the shelf_

_I'll sit and listen to 'em by myself_

_Today's music ain't got the same soul_

_I like that old time rock 'n' roll_

She smiled widely as she placed her mother's sunglasses on and began running to the foyer. She slid across the hardwood floor, the socks upon her feet erasing any friction. Laughing to herself for recreating the scene from "Risky Business," she began to sing along to the song as she slid across the floor once more.

_Don't try to take me to a disco_

_You'll never even get me out on the floor_

_In ten minutes I'll be late for the door_

_I like that old time rock 'n' roll_

She picked up her wand that had been resting upon a decorative table and used it as a microphone.

_Still like that old time rock 'n' roll_

_That kind of music just soothes the soul_

_I reminisce about the days of old_

_With that old time rock 'n' roll_

Dancing like no one was watching, for no one actually was, Hermione couldn't help but think this could be the most fun she'll have all summer. She had relished in letting go of her inhibitions, but now that she was actually enjoying herself, she knew that it would probably be a once in a lifetime sort of experience. She usually never acted so much on impulse. She normally thought things through logically, or made a list of pros and cons. This was all new to her. But being bored straight for weeks, she just blamed it on lack of being in touch with her common sense.

_Won't go to hear them play a tango_

_I'd rather hear some blues or funky old soul_

_There's only one sure way to get me to go_

_Start playing old time rock 'n' roll_

_Call me a relic, call me what you will_

_Say I'm old-fashioned; say I'm over the hill_

_Today's music ain't got the same soul_

_I like that old time rock 'n' roll_

Just as the song ended, Hermione heard pecking at her window. She rushed to it and let the owl inside, expecting it to hold a letter from Harry or Ron, but was equally shocked when she grabbed the letter from the owl to see the Hogwarts crest upon the back. The bird immediately took flight after she had successfully snatched the letter from it, not expecting a reply.

Hermione sat down upon the couch, for she had a nagging feeling that she should be sitting when she read the letter, and with trembling hands broke the seal. Dumbledore's words instantly sprang from the parchment:

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_I hope the summer holidays have treated you well thus far. But, alas, I must request that you end it early. You were always willing to help Harry in his trials since he came to Hogwarts, and I insist that you do not stop now. Times being as they are, I cannot disclose what is needed of you in this letter. All I ask is a simple trip to Hogwarts for a brief visit. A few days are all I ask of your time. I will then be happy to explain as much as possible, although you will no doubt find that most of it will only reveal itself to you of its own due course._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_P.S. Do not fret about telling your parents. They have already been informed and have given their consent for your early departure. _

Immediately, Hermione leapt from the couch and dashed for her room. Once she burst through the doorway, she instantly began tossing random objects into her trunk carelessly. She still clutched the bit of parchment in her hand with Dumbledore's hastily written words splashed across the surface; he had urgently requested her presence, but for what reason?

Hermione blanched for a second; he wasn't going to revoke her prefects' badge, was he? "No," she told herself, "that can't be possible… I haven't done anything wrong!"

She sat atop her school trunk, attempting to shut it. She couldn't help but think that perhaps it had something to do with last year's events. After all, Dumbledore had mentioned Harry. Did it have something to do with the prophecy? Was it pertaining to the battle at the Ministry?

Hermione's face fell as she remembered the loss of Sirius. She partly blamed herself; she had allowed Harry to run off to fall into Voldemort's trap. She should have stuck to her ground and refused to let Harry leave. Maybe then, Sirius would still be…

"No," she told herself again more firmly. "Don't think like that." She gave one last great jump upon the trunk and finally managed to get the clasps closed.

Sighing from her exhaustion, she stood. After changing, she gathered her trunk, as well as Crookshanks, who had been curled up on her bed, watching in amusement.

She made her way to the curb outside her home and held out her wand hand. The Knight Bus immediately pulled up alongside her, and the doors burst open to reveal a young man in a purple uniform with protruding ears and quite a few pimples. He began reading from a card. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening."

Stan looked down from his perch on the middle stair. "So where ya headin'?" he asked, almost as if it was routine; Hermione figured that it probably was.

"Er- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she responded, giving him the correct amount of sickles and stepping onto the bus.

"Well, we have a few stops before yours, so just hang on and we'll get you there soon," Stan said, rushing off to tell the driver of their destination.

Having already been on the Knight Bus, Hermione took Stan's advice and literally held on to the seat she currently occupied. And just in time too, for the bus gave a great lurch and began to rapidly zigzag its way down the street.

Hermione closed her eyes and gripped the arms of the chair even tighter. She hated the Knight Bus- it reminded her too much of flying. She turned her thoughts towards something less terrifying. Dumbledore.

What did he want with her? Granted, she was reputed as being the smartest witch of her age, but surely whatever Dumbledore needed of her he could figure out himself; he was obviously wiser than she could even begin to imagine. Worse yet, Dumbledore seemed to want to meet with just her. Harry and Ron had seldom done anything without Hermione ever since they had rescued her from the mountain troll over five years ago, and vice versa. So, it was a surprise when she received the owl from Dumbledore. Rereading the letter that was still in her hand, Hermione realized that it had implied her not to tell them. Dumbledore must have known the situation this summer, with Harry stuck at Privet Drive and Ron taking care of his Great Aunt. He had said that it wasn't the best idea to write such things in a letter, the only way she had to communicate with the two. So, why couldn't she tell her best friends about this?

She had never imagined something like this would involve just her. It was Harry who was supposed to be the hero. It was supposed to be Harry who had the secret meetings with Dumbledore. So, again, what did Dumbledore want with her?

It just didn't make much sense. _Perhaps this is a trap, _Hermione thought to herself. After all, Bellatrix Lestrange had escaped from the Ministry, and there were countless other followers of Voldemort that could still carry out his bidding. Lucius Malfoy as well as other followers had been captured at the end of Hermione's fifth year, but she couldn't be naïve enough to believe they would remain in Azkaban for long. Perhaps they wanted to lure her away from her home to hurt her parents. Or perhaps she was rushing headlong into a trap at Hogwarts. Maybe it was already taken over…

Hermione shook her head. They wouldn't have been able to take Hogwarts over, not with Dumbledore alive and well. She was just being paranoid.

The Ministry could no longer deny Voldemort's return. Cornelius Fudge himself had seen him at the Ministry of Magic. Being away from the Wizarding World for the summer, Hermione could only hope that the Ministry had taken precautions, especially at Hogwarts. But, the question was, would the Ministry still be run as it had been? Suspicious and conspiratorial, the Ministry was slowly falling apart. Would Fudge still delude himself into believing the Ministry would be safe? Changes needed to be made. If Hermione feared anything at that moment, it would be the inevitable fall of the Ministry. And at this rate, it wouldn't be long before Voldemort would take it over…

Hermione couldn't deny that her nerves were rising. She was apprehensive that the coming war would come too soon and that Harry would not be prepared. She only hoped that Dumbledore would help him through these difficult times. She understood now that in the end, Harry would have to be the one to end it all, to destroy Voldemort for the last time. She knew that it wasn't going to be easy, and Harry needed all the help he could get.

So, whatever reason Dumbledore needed her, Hermione was willing to help in any way she could. But, it unnerved her exactly what that would mean. How far would she have to go so that Harry could win the war?

At last, the Knight Bus gave another great lurch and came to a complete stop. Hermione peeked an eye open and instantly recognized the familiar sight before her- Hogwarts.

She got off the bus after thanking both Stan Shunpike and the driver, Ernie. She watched as they sped off before walking up towards the gates; they were locked, but Hermione could see the figure of Albus Dumbledore walking across the school grounds towards her.

She waited until he had reached her. "Good day, Miss Granger," he said with a smile. "I hope your travels have been fair?" Hermione nodded as she watched Dumbledore take out his wand and wave away all the spells that had been keeping her out.

Then, he opened the gates, and Hermione noticed that his hand was blackened, like it had been badly burned. As she stepped through the gates, she began to ask her Headmaster about it. "Sir? What happened to your-"

But, Dumbledore had interrupted her. "Another time, Miss Granger. Another time." They continued to stride towards the castle in silence. Hermione wondered yet again what Dumbledore wanted of her. _I guess I'll soon find out, _she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione stood with Dumbledore before a stone gargoyle. "Jelly Jumping Jarveys," he said, causing the statue to move off to the side. A spiral staircase moved upwards, and the two stepped upon it as they were escalated to the Headmaster's office.

Once inside, Dumbledore motioned for Hermione to take a seat. He then sat himself behind his desk and stared at her a moment before starting. "I bet you are curious as to why you are here."

"As a matter of fact," Hermione replied, "I am."

A twinkle appeared in the old wizard's eyes as he chuckled deeply. "Naturally," he said, his chuckle subsiding. Then, he grew more serious as he continued. "Would you be so kind as to tell me what you know about your heritage, Miss Granger?"

_What could be so important about that?! _she wondered. Hadn't she always been taught that a person's blood status wasn't important?

"Well, everyone knows I'm muggleborn. My parents are both dentists…" she said at last, confused.

Dumbledore sighed. Why did he look so defeated?

"I see," he said finally, "So you have never learned the truth."

Hermione scrunched up her face in confusion. "Learned the truth about what?"

Dumbledore gave her a piercing look as he said, "you are no ordinary witch, Hermione."

"What?" she asked, her confusion growing.

"This will be a shock to you," the old wizard began, "but you are, in fact, the last descendant of what was believed to be an extinct pureblood line. You are the descendant of the DeFontes."

Hermione was even more shocked than when she had learned she was a witch. "But that can't be true. My mother's grandma had traced our ancestry back for generations. And there couldn't possibly be a single magical bone in my father's body! All my ancestors _must _be muggles!"

Shaking his head, Dumbledore corrected her. "Not muggles. Squibs. The DeFontes were a very ancient wizarding family, but somehow the magic disappeared from the line. Every single person born for many generations after, until you were born, has been a squib. The result was until now, the family was considered extinct."

"But how do you know I'm a descendant of the DeFontes?" she wondered.

"Well, most muggleborn witches and wizards have someone magical in their ancestry. You have always proven yourself to be an extremely gifted witch." Hermione beamed at that, always loving praise from a teacher. Dumbledore continued, "And so, naturally, your bloodline became of interest to… shall we say, certain people. In researching your background, they came to discover your connection to the DeFontes. I was then alerted to such a discovery."

"How did they find out? Which side of my genealogy are the DeFontes from? " Curiosity got the better of Hermione, and she wanted to know every small detail of how this information came to be.

Shaking his head sadly, Dumbledore replied. "I'm afraid I cannot answer that. The ways in which we have gained information is best to be kept to ourselves. I hope you understand."

Dumbledore gave Hermione a moment to take in this information, and then added, "It is of the utmost importance to the future of the wizarding world that you embrace your newfound heritage. While doing so, there's something you must do. You have the task of finding out what _exactly _became the fate of your ancestors."

"But… how am I supposed to do that?!"

"What I am about to ask you to do is not, strictly speaking, legal. In fact, quite the opposite and with good reason. I'm asking you to take a memory retrieving potion."

Hermione gasped. "But Professor! I've read that they can have a very unpredictable impact on the part of the brain responsible for memories! It's been outlawed for centuries because it has to be perfectly brewed or you could-"

"Or you could end up not even knowing your own name. Yes, Miss Granger. I am aware of the consequences." Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and raised his hands, entwining them just so, in a way that his thumbs and forefingers were touching. "However, you have always shown great courage, and I believe you are up for the challenge." Feeling that he needed to add more, he continued after a moment's silence. "I would not ask such a thing from you if I was not confident you would be quite safe."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Then, she looked up suddenly as if she had just understood something. "But how could my memories tell us what happened to the DeFontes? And why would it be so important to learn why the magic left them?" it seemed like such an unimportant thing, especially with Voldemort's new rise to power.

Shaking his head, Dumbledore stated quietly, "Not your memories. The memories of your deceased relatives." His voice gaining more momentum, he persisted, "After many trial and errors, I believe I discovered that if the potion is slightly altered, it can be used to slowly give their memories. As to why it is so important, you will discover that on your own as you receive the memories. I'm afraid I cannot tell you more about that just yet."

Hermione sighed; she knew that if Dumbledore decided to keep something secret, there was little she could do to change his mind.

"There's more," Dumbledore continued, "Over the course of this academic year, while you're in between your normal school activities and your new task, you must try to befriend one Draco Malfoy."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "But we're enemies! How could I ever-"

"You will find a way," Dumbledore spoke calmly, waving her comment away with his hand. "Mister Malfoy is at a very difficult time in his life right now, and very soon, he will have to make a very difficult decision that could have grave consequences."

"And my job is to convince him which choice is right?"

"No," the elderly wizard said firmly. "You can only help him know his own heart. You cannot choose for him. If you did, it would be as if he never had the chance to choose at all. He must come to know his own feelings."

Hermione sneered uncharacteristically. "You're talking about which side he'll fight for, aren't you?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I do not know for certain, but I can only presume that is what was meant."

Ignoring this odd comment, Hermione jumped up and exclaimed, "But he's a Malfoy, a Death Eater's son! His beliefs are the same as his father's! And, that'll never change." Hermione thought of all the times Malfoy had called her a "mudblood" and grimaced as if she tasted something bitter.

Again, Dumbledore shook his head. "You shouldn't be so quick to judge when you do not have all the facts, Miss Granger." Surprised at the Headmaster's words, Hermione's mouth clamped shut as she sat back down in her chair. "Mister Malfoy is misguided, that is for certain. But, his soul is not yet so severely tainted. He has a chance to choose what is right. I must warn you not to try to convince him the light side is necessary the right choice. That would only sway him in the opposite direction. If you tell a child who's too young to know any better not to touch the burner on the stove while it's on, what does that child do, Miss Granger?"

Slightly caught off guard by the odd question, Hermione said, "Er- they put their hand upon the burner anyway?"

"Exactly! This situation is no different. Do you understand?"

Hermione wasn't sure she did, but she nodded anyway. "Yes, Professor."

"Good. Now, as you may have already guessed, your two missions are indeed connected. So, treat each with as much priority as the other, regardless of how you feel. At least you will have some time to prepare yourself emotionally."

Dumbledore stood for the first time since their meeting began and walked around the desk so that he stood in front of Hermione. Leaning against the front of his desk, he said, "You'll be staying at Hogwarts, naturally, until term begins. Professor Snape is brewing the altered version of the memory retrieving potion as we speak. You'll begin taking it as soon as it's finished."

Snape? He was in on this as well? But… he hated Hermione jus as much as he hated Harry and Ron! But, she knew there was no point in arguing with Dumbledore when it came to Snape. He had as much faith in him as he did Harry. As if reading her mind, Dumbledore added, "I know Professor Snape is the most qualified; there is no one else I know who is so devoted to potion brewing such as he. I would not trust anyone else with such an important matter." He paused for a moment. "You may now go to your room, or stroll around the grounds, or whatever else you wish."

Hermione got up to leave, but Dumbledore called out to her. "I trust that you'll keep what we have discussed between Professor Snape, me, and yourself?"

Hermione nodded and turned to leave once more, but faltered. Turning around to face Dumbledore again, she asked one more question. "What does Malfoy have to do with the DeFontes?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly. "Again, that is something that will reveal itself to you in its own, good time." Giving her a large smile, he stated simply, "Good day, Miss Granger."


	3. Chapter 3

After getting settled in her dormitory, and free to do as she pleased, Hermione did what she _always _did in a crisis- she went to the library. There was just something about the vast space between the bookshelves that soothed Hermione's nerves. It seemed to calm every frazzled sense within her.

At a table heaped with books all around, in the dead center of the chaos, was where Hermione could be found. She wanted any and all information she could dig up on the DeFontes. There just _had _to be something about them in the thousands of tomes that littered the library. Or, at least, that's what she rationalized. But, it seemed as if fate was not on her side.

Hermione sighed as she tossed yet another book into her "discard pile." So far, she had come up with nothing. She wasn't very encouraged in her endeavors as she looked at the steadily growing pile. Perhaps there wasn't much to be found on the DeFontes, after all. She had been researching for hours and continued to come up empty handed. Finally, she stood with the decision to grab a bit of supper before continuing her search.

She walked the halls of Hogwarts, content with the familiar portraits in the corridors as she passed them. She had reached a recognizable portrait of a bowl of fruit and reached out to tickle the pear. After successfully issuing a giggle, it swung away from the wall revealing a hole where the kitchens were. Immediately, Hermione was surrounded by house elves on all sides; all were eager to wait on her hand and foot.

"Mistress Hermione!" came the unmistakable voice of Dobby.

"Hello, Dobby. How're you?" Hermione asked, beaming at the sight of the house elf clad in what seemed to be every article of clothing he owned.

"Dobby's fine, Miss. How's you, Harry Potter, and your Wheezy?"

Hermione laughed at Dobby's pet name for Ron. "We're all fine. Although, we haven't actually seen each other all summer."

Dobby nodded knowingly before quickly changing the subject. "Would you like some foods, Miss?"

Hermione nodded in appreciation. As much as she disapproved of encouraging house elf slavery, she felt only slightly guilty for allowing Dobby to wait on her. After all, he was at least getting paid for his services.

Before long, Dobby had placed a plate of food in front of her. "Thank you, Dobby," she said as she tucked in. With Dobby as her only companion (for the other house elves moved away from the pair, mumbling about the wickedness of elves forgetting their place in the world), Hermione quickly finished her meal in between conversation.

After bidding Dobby farewell, she then made her way back to the library. She was bound and determined to find something on the DeFontes before the night was through. So, she took her original post between the clutter of books.

Knowing that she wasn't about to find out much about the DeFontes any time soon, she rested against the back of the chair, halfheartedly skimming the table of contents and indexes of the tomes before her. When she'd stumble upon something remotely close, she'd flip through the pages to find the correlated passage.

It wasn't long before the words began to jumble and become blurry, unfocused. Hermione was only subconsciously aware of what she was reading. At first, it didn't even hit her that she was reading information about the DeFontes. But then, it suddenly clicked, and she sprang forward excitedly in her seat. It was a small section, but Hermione began to read the excerpt nonetheless:

_Very little is known about the DeFontes. Once a very influential pureblood family, it seemed as if their luck took an eager turn for the worse. Eventually, the whole line of DeFotnes would die out within the late 1400's._

_To this day, what exactly transpired remains a mystery and baffles history buffs worldwide. But, history does show that earlier in their existence, the DeFonte family was very political within the wizarding world. Their ideals were a bit... uncharacteristic for a pureblood family. They encouraged muggleborns into the wizarding world with open arms. They logically rationalized that, generations later, there wouldn't be many purebloods left to continue the magical line, without resorting to inter-related marriages. This concept wouldn't be influenced until long after the DeFonte line diminished, but it is safe to assume that what the DeFontes preached paved way to how the wizarding world is today._

_But, for a bewildering reason, the DeFonte family suddenly lost its happy streak. Every child the DeFonte women would birth would die within hours of being born; most, however, either were stillborn or weren't carried to full term. Birth records are proof of that; but this information is as much as the historians today could gather about the DeFontes._

_So, what really happened to this influencial pureblood family? No one really rightly knows. Some say it was bad genetics; others say the family was cursed. All anyone can know for certain is that the DeFontes' time had so mysteriously come to a sudden end._

There weren't many more facts than she already knew within that passage, but there was enough for Hermione to wonder. How could this family just disappear from history altogether? So many more questions were surfacing in Hermione's mind, questions that could only be answered in one way- the memory retrieving potion.

Although Hermione still wasn't too comfortable with taking the potion, she had to admit that the mystery of the DeFontes was fascinating; she was beginning to look forward to solving it. Could the reason why the DeFonte line nearly died out be as simple as bad genetics? It was possible. Many pureblood families developed genetic problems from intermarrying with other related purebloods. Had they realized the need to accept muggleborns too late to save themselves?

But, the curse theory was possible as well. If the DeFontes really were a very political family, and they openly and publicly favored muggleborns, she imagined they must have had many enemies, enemies in which wouldn't hesitate to curse the family into oblivion- literally.

Either way, Hermione still couldn't see why it was so important to find out. What did the fate of a family that flourished, then tragically disappeared over five centuries ago, have anything to do with the future of the wizarding world? And where did Malfoy fit in? Perhaps being a pureblood, he would know more about the situation. But, that didn't make much sense. If solving the mystery were as simple as making nice with a pureblood, it would have been solved long ago.

Hermione still wasn't too sure how she would handle that part of her mission from Dumbledore. She doubted Malfoy would even be willing to speak to her, much less befriend her. She had no doubts that would be harder than piecing together the memories. Hermione needed a game plan; thank Merlin Malfoy wouldn't be coming back to Hogwarts for a while.

It was a week before Dumbledore came to Hermione with some rather unsettling news. "I'm afraid that the altered potion didn't have the desired effects Professor Snape and I had anticipated."

"So what does that mean? What went wrong?" Hermione asked, secretly relieved that she didn't need to begin taking the potion just yet.

"Too much of an ingredient was added while stirring counterclockwise. But, Severus and I have concluded that a little less of it stirred clockwise will make the potion just as we intend it to be."

"When can I start taking it then?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly. "Are you eager to get started, Miss Granger?"

Hermione snorted. "Apprehensive, more like. I think I'd rather just get it over and done with."

The old man nodded. "As to be expected, I'm sure. If everything else goes according to plan, you'll be taking your first dosage on the 31st of August."

"That's rather close to the beginning of term, Professor. Isn't that cutting it a bit close?"

Dumbledore waved Hermione's comment away with his blackened hand. "We do what we can, Miss Granger." He sighed. "But, alas, I must bid you farewell. Until next time…" and before Hermione knew it, Professor Dumbledore was gone in a blink of an eye.

"Bloody good help you were," she mumbled to herself before heading towards the library for more research on the DeFontes.

Without any other students at the castle, Hermione quickly grew lonely. She hadn't seen much of Dumbledore at all, or any other Professor for that matter, and the only company she seemed to keep was Dobby. But, since he was a free elf, he didn't have as much time to spend with her. "I's has to earn my keep," he had said one day, and Hermione quickly got the hint. He had a job to do, and she was keeping him from it.

So, she spent most of her days either holed up in Gryffindor Tower or hidden within the depths of the library.

On the night of August 31st, Dumbledore had found Hermione in the Gryffindor common room, flipping through one of the books she had borrowed from the library. "A bit of light reading?" he asked, causing Hermione to jump.

"Oh, hello, Professor. What're you doing here?"

"I believe, Miss Granger, that it's time for you to begin your mission. If you'd please follow me to my office…"

Hermione paled considerably as a shaky hand dropped her book upon the chair she had once occupied. Turning to follow Dumbledore out of the common room, her heart began to race with nervousness.

It was finally time to begin the memory potion. Now that the time had finally come, Hermione was having doubts. Were Dumbledore and Snape absolutely sure this was going to work, that the potion wasn't harmful? She had blind faith in Dumbledore, but Snape was a completely different story…

Once they had reached Dumbledore's office, they sat in the same spots as when Hermione first came to Hogwarts those long weeks ago. She had half expected Snape to already be there, ready to administer his poison –er... potion to her.

"I've asked you here a bit early to discuss further what I expect from you in these missions." Hermione perked up and began to listen intently. "First of all, you should take the potion twice a week. Once on Sundays, and then once more on Wednesdays. Understood?"

Hermione merely nodded. "Good. Secondly, it would be wise for you to keep a dream journal. History of this potion has concluded that most people who attempted the original potion would see their memories in their dreams. Although, this wasn't always the case. Then, when my busy schedule allows it, you will meet with me to go over what you have seen. Together, we can begin to piece the puzzle together."

"When will the potion begin taking effect?" she wondered, unable to stop herself from asking.

Smiling, Dumbledore answered, "The potion itself will begin to work almost immediately. From the testimonies of others, only blurry and confusing memories come forth. But, after some time, the blur grows clearer and stronger, and the memories begin to make sense. It varies from person to person on how long that takes; and, taking into account that this potion is altered, we can only hope that these memories come sooner rather than later."

Once more, Hermione nodded. "Finally, I feel I must give you a word of caution. With the first dosage, the potion tends to take time to get used to. Any number of side effects can occur, but I assure you, they are not long lasting and will subside almost as soon as they start."

Just then, Professor Snape barged in with a wave of robes about his feet. "The potion is ready, sir," he said as he strolled up to the desk. Just then, his dark, beady eyes settled upon Hermione. "Has she been properly warned?" he asked lowly.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, she has." Hermione wanted to tell them that she was still in the room and had the perfect capability to answer for herself, but it wasn't the right time to voice such concerns. Besides, her vocal chords seemed to have temporarily shut down due to anxiety.

Turning to Hermione, Dumbledore asked, "Are you ready, Miss Granger?"

"Yes," she finally managed to squeak out as she stood to take the vial Snape had produced from his robes. Uncorking the stopper, Hermione brought it to her lips, but hesitated.

Looking towards Dumbledore, he gave her a look that seemed to say "go on." So, without any more ado, she downed the liquid in one fluent motion.

It was like trying to force down bile. The awful taste lingered on her taste buds, causing her gag reflex to have a sudden fit. Then, a swift wave of pain crept across her abdomen. Cramps like she had never experienced before flittered to and fro. It felt ten times worse than the Cruciatus curse.

_Something's wrong_, she thought with panic. _The potion is unstable!_ With a great cry, she fell to her knees, clutching her stomach, the agony too much to bear whilst standing. She looked up at her Professors, awaiting help. She noticed Snape twitch a second before moving a step towards her.

_So he hasn't poisoned me, after all,_ she thought with irony. But, no sooner had he taken that step had Dumbledore's blackened hand reached out to stop him.

If the pain weren't so excruciating, Hermione's eyes would have rounded with surprise. Surely Dumbledore can see the potion is wrong! But, she had to close her chocolate orbs as she shook with the torturous pulsing in her gut. She was sure she would die then and there.

As quickly as the pain came, however, it just as quickly subsided. With trembling knees, Hermione tried to stand and found that, if she held on to Dumbledore's desk, she could maintain her posture.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice weak.

"A side effect," Dumbledore answered, his voice soft with sympathy. "And I'm sorry you had to go through the pain. But, if we had interfered, we would not know what could have happened."

Now regaining her senses, Hermione snorted. "I hope I don't have to go through that again, Professor."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Neither do I, Miss Granger. But, I think it's safe to say that it shouldn't happen again. The pain is normal, which is one of many reasons why no witch or wizard today makes the potion. They'd just prefer to leave what is forgotten in the back recesses of their mind."

"Can I go to bed now?" She had asked suddenly, suppressing a yawn, but there was no denying that she was tired. She had just spent every ounce of energy on what had just transpired.

"Yes, you may. I believe we've covered a good deal for one night." Dumbledore turned to Snape. "Severus, could you be so kind as to walk Miss Granger back to Gryffindor Tower?"

Snape, who had been rather silent the whole time (probably wondering about his lap in judgment for trying to actually _help_ a Gryffindor), quickly looked to Dumbledore. "I'm sure the girl can manage," he seethed.

"Yes, I believe I can," Hermione answered, taking her hand off the desk. After wobbling a moment, she stood solidly on her own two feet. She sent a smile in Dumbledore's direction. "See?"

"Yes, well done, well done. However, I'd feel much more content if you had someone to accompany you." Dumbledore gave Snape a pointed look. "I would love to be that someone, but, alas, I have a prior engagement."

Snape stiffened slightly. The room succumbed to silence before Snape hissed. "Alright!" he bellowed before swiftly striding to the door and down the stairs, not even bothering to wait for Hermione.

"Get some rest, child." Dumbledore said before walking towards the fireplace and grabbing some floo powder. He turned to look at Hermione and waited for her to leave. Apparently, he did not wish to let her know where he was heading.

Getting the hint, Hermione stumbled out the door and down the stairs. After reaching the corridor, she saw Snape waiting by the corner ahead. When she was about ten feet away, he turned the corner only to wait at the next.

As he walked ahead of her, he would occasionally turn his head over his right shoulder to make sure she was still on her own two feet. And, now that she wasn't in Dumbledore's presence anymore, she felt the need to hold on to the wall as she walked, for it wasn't all that easy to stand. She had just been putting on a show for the Headmaster. But, there was still a phantom of the pain she had experienced only moments ago.

Finally reaching the Tower, Snape hadn't even waited to make sure she got inside okay, but rather began to go right back down again. His shoulder had knocked into her, but only halfheartedly. She knew he could have hit her much harder, causing her to tumble down the stairs and, most likely, to her death.

But then he would be blamed for such an atrocity, for he was supposed to have seen to it that she made the long walk to Gryffindor Tower unscathed. And, surely, not even he wanted that upon his shoulders.

Once Snape was out of sight, Hermione turned towards the portrait of the Fat Lady and yawned before saying the password. The moment she entered the common room, she plopped down upon the comfiest couch there and mumbled, "Accio pillow and blanket."

She waited long enough for the objects to zoom towards her before she settled in and shut her eyes, waiting for the moment when she would drift off to sleep.

And, right between the state of reality and slumber, Hermione saw a vision of a young woman, still probably a teenager. She was wearing a very old-fashioned dress and corset that reminded Hermione of the Renaissance Era, clothes she'd seen in a museum in France. Although her brown hair was done up in a formal looking hairdo, Hermione somehow knew that if they were let down they would be bushy and unmanageable. The woman gave a half smile, showing front teeth only slightly larger than normal. Then the image started to fade away as Hermione finally succumbed to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

September first brought the first day of the new term, and before Hermione knew it, students had begun to arrive at the castle, all eager to begin the new term. As they all began to fill the Great Hall for the start-of-term feast, Hermione couldn't help but scan the crowd excitedly. She hadn't seen Harry or Ron for months, and, the moment she had spotted them, she had rushed to them, grasping them both in a hug.

"Nice to see you too, Hermione," laughed Harry once the surprise of a bushy-haired girl crushing him had subsided.

"Can't breathe…" Ron gasped, trying to loosen Hermione's grip. Hermione did lessen her hold on the boys then, but still hugged them tightly enough that they couldn't move an inch.

"I've missed you both so much!" she exclaimed, her eyes squinting shut from the pressure in which she held her two best friends.

After exchanging pleasantries, they all took a spot at the middle of the Gryffindor table and listened as the sorting began.

Hermione chanced a peak at the Slytherin table, semi-hoping that Malfoy had transferred to Durmstrang. Her hopes diminished as soon as she found the familiar platinum blonde head towards the end of the table. As she turned her attention back to the sorting, she knew that now she had to begin the second half of her mission. She had a feeling that it would be much more difficult than taking the memory potion. Her nerves began to increase as it all began to sink it fully.

Over the past weeks, Hermione knew what was to be expected from her. But now that the time had come, she became apprehensive about everything she was told to do. Even taking the potion was beginning to unsettle her.

Since she had taken the first dosage, Hermione had yet to have anything resembling a memory that was not her own. She was beginning to think the potion was a dud. But, how did that explain away the image of the girl she saw? Could she subconsciously be remembering a face from one of her mother's photo albums? Or perhaps, she had just imagined it all. She had a meeting with Dumbledore the next night; maybe he could shed some light on the matter. Hermione decided not to get too bent out of shape over it.

Malfoy was another story. Hermione had no idea how she'd ever make progress with him. When it came to ideas, her mind was at a standstill. This was the same Malfoy who had bragged about the "mudbloods" being the basilisk's next victims in their second year; the same Malfoy who tried to get the hippogriff, Buckbeak, killed and Hagrid sacked; the very same Malfoy who had done everything he could to make the lives of her and her friends a living hell ever since they began at Hogwarts. They never even had anything close to resembling a civilized conversation before. So, how could one become friends with their enemy?

Hermione's thoughts vanished once Dumbledore stood from his seat at the staff table. Once the murmurs had died across the Great Hall, he began his start-of-term speech. " The very best of evenings to you! To our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you! Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise. We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

A murmur spread throughout the room. "Slughorn's going to be the new Potions Master?!" Harry shrieked beside Hermione. "But then…. What about Snape?!"

Hermione shushed him, for Dumbledore continued. "Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dart Arts teacher."

A louder buzz circulated around the four house tables. "This is absurd!" Ron whispered fiercely to Harry, but once again, Hermione quieted them before they could say anything else.

Dumbledore seemed to be waiting until there was an absolute silence before continuing. Once no more lips were moving, he proceeded. "Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them- in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety.

"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

When the trio stood to leave the great Hall, Hermione scanned the crowd for Malfoy, dreading having to do what she was about to. But, after Dumbledore's speech concerning safety and not being able to stay out after curfew, she felt she wouldn't get much of a chance to begin her mission with Malfoy.

She finally found him once they were a mere foot from the doors leading out of the Hall. Her eyes, for a brief moment, had locked with his. In that moment, Hermione could tell that the man she looked at now wasn't the boy she had always known. He didn't swagger like he owned the place; he didn't have that same annoyingly superior look; he didn't even look like a teenager anymore. It was as if he had to change from a boy into a man in just three short months, and the experience had been hard on him. If he had been any other student, Hermione would have felt sorry for him.

But, a mission was a mission. So, when Malfoy had finally passed her, Hermione forced herself to give him a small smile. After realizing this smile was directed towards him, the Slytherin's eyes narrowed into a glare, such a glare that it left Hermione unsure if it was meant to wipe the smile off her face completely or to dare her to say something about the obvious changes he went through.

The look caught her off guard. She had been expecting to make some sort of progress in her mission; a simple "hello" would have been satisfactory. But the way Malfoy had glowered at her, Hermione could tell that she shouldn't force this upon him just yet. He continued to eye her coldly as they walked through the doors, _probably for good measure,_ Hermione thought. Once on the other side, Malfoy looked away and walked on. She couldn't say she expected anything less. She had to remind herself that they hated each other.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked, and Hermione quickly turned to her friends.

"Oh, sorry. What?" she asked, dazed.

"The way Malfoy was staring you down. Classes haven't even started yet, and he's already giving you the Slytherin glare." Her friends must not have seen her "friendly" gesture, which was fine by her. She didn't feel like explaining why she was being kind to a Slytherin.

Secretly peeved that Ron chose an inopportune time to become perceptive, Hermione tried her best to keep the annoyance from her voice as she sighed. "Oh, just let it drop, Ron. We have bigger worries than Malfoy right now."

"I'm not so sure Malfoy isn't part of our problem," Harry answered. "He was definitely up to something in Knockturn Alley, and it can't be good." At his friends' confused expressions, Harry slapped himself on the forehead. "I forgot you two weren't there!" He then rushed into a hushed recount of what he had seen that day while shopping for new school supplies.

"And in Madam Malkin's?" Ron asked, "She kept agitating his left arm?"

"Yes!" cried Harry, exasperated. Then, he grew somber. "Having Malfoy as a Death Eater is insane. One Malfoy in the Dark Lord's circle is more than enough!"

Hermione hung back from the group, shocked. Malfoy?! A Death Eater?! _I think my mission just got more complicated_, she thought glumly.

* * * * *

Things were definitely not going Hermione's way. The last thing she needed was for her two best friends ending up in yet another fight with Malfoy, which seemed to be their favorite pastime lately. And, things didn't get any better when classes resumed.

Potions was the trio's very first class back at Hogwarts. Harry and Ron were glad to see that Professor Snape wasn't teaching the class anymore, although they knew that it would cause Defense Against the Dark Arts to be all that much more difficult.

Though Potions with Professor Slughorn was more enjoyable than it had been with Snape, his tendency to take a liking to certain students wasn't exactly classified as being professional. Slughorn had been rather impressed with how Hermione had correctly identified the different potions he had brewed for the lesson. She could tell that she had inadvertently just included herself into the select few Slughorn invites to his Slug Club. And, for some reason, he had thought it a stroke of genius to pair Hermione with Malfoy; to create a "dream team" he had said. Hermione mentally snorted. How could any team including Malfoy be a dream?!

But, regardless, Hermione begrudgingly paired up with Malfoy. Harry and Ron were fortunate enough to be paired together. Hermione tried telling herself that working with Draco Malfoy would end up helping her with her mission, but a nagging in the back of her head told her this wouldn't end well.

At first, things went as smoothly as could be expected, with a silent sort of "I-won't-hex-you-if-you-don't-speak-to-me" agreement between the two rivals. The Draught of Living Death was the most complex potion either of them had ever made, and they both knew they would actually have to work together if they didn't want the cauldron to blow up in their faces. They managed to get past adding the powdered root of asphodel to the infusion of wormwood without any incidents.

But then, Hermione made the mistake of glancing towards Harry and Ron's potion. "Now, that can't be right," she mumbled to herself, confused. Harry and Ron's potion looked and smelled just as it was meant to. Every vapor reeked of perfection. The look on their faces made Hermione suspect they weren't just suddenly geniuses when it came to potion brewing.

"What was that?" Malfoy asked, glaring at her for interrupting his concentration. It was the first time he had spoken to her since the start of the school year. Hermione could immediately tell that there was something different in his voice; she just couldn't quite place what it was. She decided to store this information in the back of her head and dwell on it later.

"Nothing," Hermione replied, caught off guard that Malfoy had broken their unspoken agreement. But, Malfoy wasn't going to let it go. He followed her line of vision to Harry and Ron's cauldron. Looking back at their own potion, his eyes grew dark. Harry and Ron were at least three steps ahead of them.

It seemed as if something snapped inside Malfoy. He began to cut the valerian roots haphazardly. Instead of neatly sliced pieces as the book described, they most accurately resembled a pile of green goo.

"What are you doing?! You need to slow down!" Hermione hissed.

"Shut up, Granger. I want that bottle of Felix Felicis. I _need_ it. And, no mudblood is going to stop me! Now, stir counterclockwise!" he snapped.

"You'll never get the Felix Felicis that way," she whispered, trying to pay no attention to what Malfoy had just called her. Despite his open nastiness, Hermione decided to let him do as he pleased. Perhaps if he did win the Felix Felicis he wouldn't be quite as terrible to her as he normally would be. Perhaps then, her mission would actually be, dare she say it, _tolerable_.

He gave her a defiant look before ignoring her completely and put what was left of the roots into the cauldron. Instead of turning a smooth current color, the liquid looked like ink mixed with swamp water. Ignoring it, the Slytherin started hacking the sophmoros beans.

"Here. Let me help you with that," interjected Hermione. "We're supposed to be partners, after all." She hoped she had sounded friendlier than she was feeling at the moment.

"I don't need any help!" Draco seethed.

The rest of the class continued the same way, with Malfoy not showing any willingness to listen to Hermione, and Hermione trying to undo everything he did. The result was that, by the end of the lesson, the potion was fizzing and fuming violently, completely useless. Just then, Professor Slughorn decided to walk by.

"I really was expecting more from the two of you," was all he said as he walked towards another pair's cauldron. Hermione knew they had received a low grade on their Draught of Living Death. And frankly, she really couldn't blame Slughorn at all. The pair deserved whatever grade the professor decided to give them. But, that didn't stop her from feeling resentment towards her enemy as she realized that she received a poor grade.

She took a deep breath before she dared to look at Malfoy. If it weren't for her mission, oh how she would have loved to repeat the black eye she gave him in third year.

Gathering up her belongings to leave, she saw Harry and Ron push past Malfoy to reach her. "Look, 'Mione! We won the Felix Felicis!"

Hermione looked past them to Malfoy. She honestly had never seen him look so dejected. Turning back to her friends, she plastered a grin on her face. "That's great!" she exclaimed.

But deep down, she knew there was nothing great about the urgent desperation Malfoy had so openly shown when they brewed their potion. Hermione could still hear that desperation in his voice when he said that he _needed_ the Felix Felicis. And, in the back recesses of her mind, Hermione couldn't let go of the fact that Harry believed Malfoy to be a Death Eater. She couldn't help but think, as she walked from the classroom with Harry and Ron, that these two pieces of information were linked.

No, she thought wearily as her eyes watched the Slytherin gracefully weave through the crowded corridor ahead of her, _nothing great can come from this…_

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The speech Professor Dumbledore says in this chapter is not of my own handiwork. Miss JK Rowling herself wrote that fantastic excerpt, though i edited a bit of it so that I didn't have to add any of that side talking the characters did and extra narrative stuff. Thank you and goodnight! Pip pip! heh.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione awoke from a dream, though every detail was so blurry, she couldn't remember any of it at all. It was a week since she first took the memory retrieving potion, but still Hermione had very little luck remember what she would see in her altered state. She was beginning to believe that Dumbledore got the potion wrong when he altered it. Hermione just decided that she would bring it up to Snape later that day when she took yet another dosage of the potion. Hopefully, he could pass the information along to the Headmaster; Dumbledore seemed to be missing as of late. Perhaps Dumbledore could do something to fix the potion, as well as her current success in her missions. As much as she hated to admit it, Hermione made very little headway. Not only was the potion _not _working, but Malfoy was being as big of a prat as ever. Every small attempt at curteousy she made, Draco just ignored it completely. Needless to say, Hermione was starting to get very frustrated with herself.

All the other girls in Hermione's dormitory had already started their days. So, she quickly got ready for a brand new day and headed towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

After scanning the Gryffindor table and spotting Harry and Ron, she crossed the room and sat between the two boys. "Morning, Harry!" she said. Harry mumbled a hello as he shoved a spoonful of porridge into his mouth. "Morning, Ron!" she exclaimed, equally as cheerful. But, Ron didn't answer her.

She looked towards him. "Ron? Are you alright?" He wasn't shoving food into his pie-hole as he usually did. Instead, he held the fork straight in the air, his eyes large and unmoving. Hermione nudged him. "Ron?" Immediately, he jumped, dropped the fork, and blinked out of his daze.

"Huh?" he asked, turning towards her.

"I asked if you're alright."

"What? Oh yeah… I'm fine." He went back to staring, unfocused, ahead of him.

Hermione mentally shrugged and turned towards her own breakfast. _He's probably is just worried about Quidditch try-outs,_ she thought to herself.

Ginny plopped herself on the other side of the table just then and grabbed for an apple from the basket in the center of the table. After taking a hearty bite, her and Hermione rushed into a conversation.

Before long, with the help of Harry, the two persuaded Ron out of his comatose state to eat a piece of toast. After that, he was the same old Ron, who was only slightly nervous as the four of them walked down to the Quidditch Pitch.

Nobody could remember more people ever trying out for a Quidditch team than there were for the Gryffindor team that year. Hermione wondered how Harry was going to narrow the competition down, but it turned out to be fairly easy. He divided them up into groups in which had to fly around the pitch. The first group was all first years who'd obviously never even been on a broom before, much less played a single game of Quidditch. The second group was a bunch of girls who were laughing so hard they crashed repeatedly, most of the third group hadn't even remembered to bring brooms, and to top it all off, the fourth group was all Hufflepuffs, which Hermione had to admit to herself, was pretty funny indeed.

It looked like the Gryffindor team was going to be the pick of a bad lot at first, but Harry did find three good Chasers, including Ginny, who'd flown better than anyone else. Everyone had cheered loudly for her, Hermione among them. The Beaters weren't bad, although nowhere as legendary as the Weasley twins had been. Harry, of course, would be returning as Seeker.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron were all nervous about the Keeper tryouts. Besides Ron, the only other candidate for Keeper who looked like he would be any good was Cormac McLaggen. And to add to Ron's nerves, the students who'd finished breakfast were coming down to the stadium to watch.

McLaggen had saved four penalties and only needed to save one last one to be virtually assured a place on the team, especially since the other Keepers had barely made two saves. Hermione knew Ron was a wreck and debated with herself a moment. She hated the idea of cheating, but was it considered cheating if she sent just one little spell to help Ron when she already knew he was good? He was bound to do well once he relaxed, but she could see that he wasn't about to do that any time soon. She ended up deciding that it wasn't cheating. It wasn't as if Ron asked her to do it. And thanks to a mild Confunding Charm, McLaggen thought the Quaffle was headed one way and went completely in the wrong direction. Of course, he was absolutely livid when Ron made five straight saves, claiming Ginny didn't really try to get past him. But since she hit the Quaffle he had almost missed, there was no use making that argument.

It was worth the tiny amount of guilt she felt to see her friends so happy. Merlin knew they had little enough to be happy about, especially after the events of last year.

"I thought I was going to miss that fourth penalty trick shot from Demelza, did you see, had a bit of a spin on it-" Ron was saying as they made their way to Hagrid's hut.

"Yes, yes, you were magnificent!" Hermione was trying not to smile too wide.

"I was better than McLaggen anyway. Did you see him lumbering off in the wrong direction on his fifth?" He was so ecstatic, he skipped the rest of the way to Hagrid's.

"I can't believe you confunded McLaggen like that, Hermione!"

"Shh!" Hermione whispered back fiercely, turning a shade of pink, "He'll hear you!"

Harry smirked widely at her. "Still! It wasn't exactly by the law, you know."

Hermione flashed Harry a smile of her own. "I know." She smiled smugly as she said this, but then checked her watch. "Oh shoot! I need to go see Professor Snape!" she turned towards Harry. "You go on. I'll see you in a bit."

Harry's smile turned sour at the mere mention of Snape. "But it's Sunday! What business would you have seeing Snape on a Sunday?!"

"Well…" Hermione began, dubious. "Dumbledore set it up that I become his intern. You know… great recommendations when I become a Healer… and the like." Hermione hated lying to Harry, but what was she to do when she had to keep everything about her mission a secret?

Harry shook his head. "I don't like this, Hermione. I don't like you being alone with that git."

Sighing, Hermione persisted. "Harry! It's a great opportunity. And, if Dumbledore doesn't object to it, how can you?"

Hermione could tell instantly that Harry was thinking of his own personal time spent with Snape last year. "Because I don't trust Snape as far as I can throw him, that's why!" he hissed, causing Hermione to flinch.

"Sorry," he muttered, "I didn't mean…"

"I know what you meant, Harry!" she cried, her own anger flaring. "And I appreciate your concern, but this is just something I have to do!" she stomped her foot childishly. "You have to trust me on this, Harry!" Her eyes were pleading, and though she couldn't just come out and tell Harry everything about her missions, that one tiny phrase seemed to say it all. Harry knew that Hermione only said that when she knew exactly what she was doing, and that was all Harry needed.

He sighed and nodded. "Alright," he said, defeated, "Go ahead. I'll see you later."

And with that, Hermione sprang down to the first floor corridor. Once reaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, she knocked on the door. She could instantly hear shuffling around from inside before the door was violently opened. Hermione had expected for Snape to stand before her, but instead, Draco Malfoy loomed over her. He sneered maliciously at her before calling over his shoulder to Snape. "Professor! The Mudblood is here to see you!"

More shuffling could be heard before Snape's hand emerged from behind the door to pry it open further. He, too, sneered at her and Hermione then realized that she was all alone in enemy territory, no ally to speak of. "Thank you, Draco," Snape drawled, "We can continue our conversation later this evening."

Malfoy nodded curtly before brushing past both Snape and Hermione. He smacked his shoulder roughly into her own as he sauntered by, and all she could do was glare at his retreating back.

"Get in here, you foolish little girl!" Snape hissed as he grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her inside. He then looked down the corridor on both sides of the door before slamming it shut. He said nothing to her as he strode over to his desk, pulling out a drawer, and began to rummage through it.

Finding what he was looking for, Snape shut the drawer and tossed a corked vial towards Hermione. "Drink it," he ordered nastily. She did as she was told and uncorked the stopper.

Hermione tilted her head backwards and downed the liquid in one gulp. Coughing slightly, she began to stand, but a wave of agony shot through her abdomen, and she doubled over. She was grateful that the pain wasn't nearly as torturous as the last time she had taken the potion. The pain she experienced now was tolerable; it seemed to lessen more and more every time she took it. Less pain was better than much pain in Hermione's book.

Hermione breathed in deeply and exhaled loudly, well aware that Snape was watching her the entire time. This time, however, he made no move to help her. _So much for thinking he actually cares,_ she thought bitterly.

Once the pain subsided, Hermione stood. "Is that all?" she asked, more harshly than she had intended.

Snape sneered. "Unless you'd like to test out my fresh batch of Veritaserum?" Hermione could only imagine the humiliating questions he would undoubtedly ask her under the truth serum; she shook her head.

Not knowing how else to talk to her Professor, Hermione merely spoke bluntly. "Please tell Dumbledore that the potion doesn't seem to be working; any dream that I have, I cannot recall any details whatsoever. I think it may be flawed."

Snape's expression darkened. Through gritted teeth, he replied, " I assure you there is no flaw. Dumbledore and I slaved over the formula for months on end until we were _absolutely positive_ it was correct. Plus, I personally brewed the potion to perfection." Snape paused momentarily only to leer at her from the other side of the desk before he continued. "Perhaps the flaw resides in your brain, Miss Granger."

Hermione was livid; Before she could say something that she probably shouldn't have, after all Snape was still a professor, she began to make her way towards the door.

Snape stepped in her way. "So it appears as if you're making little progress with Mister Malfoy." His usual sneer was plastered across his face.

No longer able to contain it, Hermione's rage broke through her mental restraint. "What do you expect me to do, _Professor_," she took a step towards him. "It's not every day I become best friends with Slytherin gits, _especially_ the King of Gits such as the likes of your _precious _Draco Malfoy!"

Hermione knew she was being quite bold, but she no longer cared. Something inside of her snapped. Dumbledore and Snape only seemed to be worried about Malfoy; and there she was practically rearranging her whole life because of blind faith in Dumbledore. She was beginning to crack under the pressure, and now, she realized exactly how Harry felt. He carried the world on his shoulders, and now Hermione could finally relate to what the pressures and demands that went with it could possibly feel like.

Snape stood stoically as he said, "Maybe if you weren't a foolish girl who didn't care much about common things like Quidditch, perhaps you and Mr. Malfoy would have something to discuss." He sneered darkly, and the step that Hermione so boldly took closer to her professor was all in vain as she took two more backwards. "Perhaps if you read more about the Montrose Magpies instead of completing homework assignments weeks in advance, you could actually accomplish something in your life." He paused as he walked swiftly back to his desk. "Now, get out!"

Hermione could tell by his tone of voice that the conversation was over, so she did as she was instructed and left, contemplating Snape's words. As she walked down the corridors, what he said kept running through her head. _Perhaps if you read more about the Magpies… common things like Quidditch… Foolish girl…_

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. What Snape said rang true; she was a foolish girl! Why hadn't she thought of this before?!

There was no denying that what Snape said was rather cruel, to be blunt, but if Hermione looked beneath his usual heartless surface, she found… constructive advice. Had Snape meant to do it? she wondered as she raced to the Gryffindor common room.

Busting through the portrait hole, Hermione rushed up to Harry and Ron playing a game of Wizard's chess. "Harry! Can I borrow _Quidditch Through The Ages_?!" she asked almost desperately.

"What for?" he asked suspiciously, wondering why one of his best friends had a sudden interest in the sport.

Hermione faltered. "Well, I'd just like to have it for a bit of light reading," was all she offered on the subject.

She waited while Harry went to fetch his copy of the book and yanked it viciously from his grasp the moment he came down from the boys' dormitories.

Harry looked to Ron for an explanation, but only received a shrug. The two boys continued their game sending occasional curious glances at Hermione, who had plopped down into a nearby chair, reading as if her life depended on it.

* * * * *

During patrols that night, Hermione kept glancing at Draco. She'd smile knowingly at him before she'd avert her gaze, just awaiting the perfect moment to begin speaking. She was just waiting for him to say something first.

Hermione felt rather proud of herself. She sometimes was shocked at the way her mind worked. She came up with the idea to use Quidditch as an opening conversation starter. If she was coy about it, Hermione could possibly pull it off without bringing up any suspicion to her. She just thanked Merlin that Dumbledore was just as witty. He had planned it so that Hermione would be the one to be paired with Draco Malfoy for Prefect duties. He had explained to Malfoy that it was because every other prefect refused to work with him, but Hermione knew that it was really to give her a chance to work on her mission.

Finally, after about a dozen times of Hermione peeking at him, Malfoy became annoyed. "What is it, Granger?" he growled.

Hermione turned towards him. "What was that Malfoy?" she smiled again.

"What're you so happy about?!"

Hermione shrugged. "Oh nothing in particular. I just can't wait until the first Quidditch match of the season is all. How about you?"

Malfoy snorted, but didn't give any other response to her question.

Prodding further, Hermione began again nervously, "Well, I suppose you're excited, naturally. That's only to be expected from any Quidditch player."

Malfoy looked at her strangely. "What is your sudden interest in Quidditch lately anyway?!"

_Just that it's the only thing I know you like, besides being an arse, that is._ "I finally got around to reading _Quidditch Through The Ages_. Harry and Ron have been on me for years to read it. Thought it'd get me interested in the game enough to play a few games back at the Burrow."

"All I hear is 'Blah, blah, blah, I'm a dirty mudblood.'" _Ouch. That one stung._

But, Hermione refused to let it get to her. She carried on as if she hadn't heard him speak a word, much to the annoyance of Draco. "I actually became fascinated with the Montrose Magpies. Have you heard of them?"

At this, Draco laughed heartily. "Are you daft?! Who hasn't heard of them?!"

Hermione shrugged. "This is all new to me... All I know is that I became captivated when I read that Eunice Murray was so good, that she asked for a faster snitch because catching it was too easy. It also helped that she was a woman, mind you."

"Yes, well, the Magpies are famous globally throughout the Wizarding world. Anyone _normal _would know that."

Hermione quieted. That was twice now that he reminded her of her true heritage, and thus reminded her exactly where he thought she belonged. She let out a long sigh and gave Malfoy a disappointed look before settling her eyes straight ahead and not saying a word.

Noticing the way Hermione's whole body sagged with defeat, Malfoy walked awkwardly beside Hermione in silence until, at last, the pair had finished their patrol. He then disappeared without a trace to the dungeons.

Hermione herself headed straight to Gryffindor Tower where her bed awaited eagerly for her return, which she so gladly reciprocated. She was instantly asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

September passed uneventfully, though Hermione worked continuously to succeed in her missions. But in between that and her schoolwork, on top of Prefects duties, it was a great task just to breathe. And to add further distress to the situation, Katie Bell had ended up in the hospital wing after wearing a cursed necklace. As Hermione had expected, Harry and Ron were sure Draco was behind it. As for herself, she wasn't sure whether she believed that or not. She had hoped to get another chance to see him at the first Quidditch match of the season, but he claimed to be sick, of all things. Harry and Ron had chalked it up to being "lucky," but Hermione knew the real reason why things were going their way. She had seen Harry tip the bottle of Felix Felicis over Ron's goblet at breakfast, and she knew Harry heard Slughorn when he said it was illegal to use luck potions in competitions.

"Hermione. You're just being paranoid," Ron said, dismissing her accusations against Harry.

After having argued for so long, Hermione's point was considered moot, dismissed. Everything seemed to be going perfectly for the Gryffindor team as they scored again and again and Ron blocked one Slytherin goal after another. Any other time, Hermione would have been thrilled to see them do so well, but now it almost felt like they didn't deserve it. She remembered in second year when she'd commented that nobody on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in, that they had a place on the team because of pure talent. Now, if they won, would it be because they'd earned it?

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Zacharias Smith call, "And I think Harper of Slytherin has seen the Snitch! Yes, he's certainly seen something Potter hasn't!"

Sure enough, the Snitch was above them. Harry sped after it, but even the speed of his Firebolt didn't seem like enough to pass Harper. The Slytherin had his hand reached out towards the golden ball when Harry yelled.

"Oi, Harper! How much did Malfoy pay you to come on instead of him?"

It had worked. Harper overshot the Snitch, and Harry caught it. Hermione couldn't quite be happy about it, though. Harper had honestly seen it first, and Harry had tricked him. Harry had been almost- she'd never thought she could think such a thing- but he had been absolutely Slytherin about it. He hadn't been able to accept losing. For the first time, Hermione thought about how it must feel to be Malfoy and lose every time to Harry, and not always just at Quidditch. Before she could stop herself, she was feeling empathetic for the Slytherin bastard. _What's wrong with me?! _she though, shaking her head, as if to clear it of the line of thought she had been crossing.

After the game ended, with a victory for Gryffindor, Hermione waited until everyone except Harry had left the changing room, wanting a private word with him. Now that she'd thought about it, she couldn't say Harry tricking Harper had been cheating. After all, the rules were whoever caught the Snitch first won the game, not whoever happened to go after it first. And Harper had let himself fall for it, let himself get distracted. But, using the luck potion was another matter. And, that fact only provoked Hermione's resolve further into confronting her two best friends.

"I want a word with you, Harry," she said once they were alone. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, it's illegal." Her voice wasn't ridiculing, but soft with a faint disappointment. Harry just pretended not to understand.

"You know perfectly well what I mean, Harry! You spiked Ron's pumpkin juice with Felix Felicis at breakfast!"

Silently, Harry pulled out the still sealed bottle. "I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking." He grinned sheepishly at her from under the curls of his eyelashes. "Er… so, shall we go to the celebratory party?"

Hermione didn't feel like being around either of them at the moment, let alone anyone else. "You go. I…have some homework I have to get done." She stormed out of the room, deciding to walk off some of the steam that still lingered from Harry's trickery.

Hermione barely recognized where she was going, so deep in thought she was. In no time at all, she found herself outside of the library. "Might as well do some research while I'm here," she said aloud to no one in particular. Even though she had perused every tome that might help her with finding anything to do with the DeFontes, she strolled into the library regardless, determined to read between the lines of which she had already read dozens of times. She was bound and determined to find something that would be of any use to her mission.

* * *

That night, Hermione was still trying to forget about the day's events as she tried to fall asleep. Trying to focus her thoughts, she let herself give into the swirling, sinking feeling that was beginning to overpower her. And when she was in between sleep and reality, she saw a woman, the same image that had come to her before. This time, however, there was more than just a foggy haze around the woman

The picture of the woman burned the back of Hermione's eyelids. It floated there, lingering, as if the woman herself wanted Hermione to get a good, long look of her. If it hadn't been for the clothes the woman was wearing, something almost straight out of the Renaissance, Hermione might have thought it was herself that she was watching. But, upon closer scrutiny, Hermione noticed slight differences to the woman she was seeing, though they seemed to be about the same age. The woman's hair was tamer than Hermione's, and longer as well. Where as Hermione's eyes were more of a darker chocolate, this woman's orbs were a brilliant topaz. Hermione also noticed that the woman's nose was a bit wider than her own.

Then, the images, memories really, were speeding before her eyes faster than she was able to comprehend them. It was closer to being inside a movie, or a swirling pensieve, but the scenes ran together and had no apparent plot. The girl was curled up by a roaring fire, reading a book with a large, ginger colored cat. The scene changed, and the girl was up a tree, watching everything, and yet nothing in particular, just enjoying being able to see what she couldn't from the ground. Then, she was riding a horse, but with a leg on each side, not sidesaddle, as was the custom long ago. The scene changed again to show the girl swimming in what looked like her undergarments, enjoying a hot summer's day. It was becoming clear that this girl's spirit was different from what would be expected of a lady back then.

And abruptly, the images stopped. Hermione sat bolt up right in her bed as her eyes bulged in surprise. As she started to work out what had just happened, she stumbled upon a realization- the potion must be working! After taking a quick glance at a clock, and noting the not-so-late hour, Hermione scrambled from her bed, a large grin plastered across her face.

There was finally some good news with her mission! And, she couldn't wait to tell Dumbledore.

* * *

Hermione rushed down to breakfast, eager to start the new day. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, and usually, she never got so worked up over them. But, it just so happened that the book she wanted more than anything was coming in that day, and Hermione wanted to begin reading it as soon as possible. But, for the most part, she was exuberant to the fact that what was to be expected of her was finally happening. Dumbledore had been pleased with the new discovery; he went to great lengths to show his approval of Hermione's visions, a fact that made her full of pride from head to toe. It was something she lived for, especially from an all-knowing wizard such as Dumbledore.

Hermione's face fell for just a moment at how Dumbledore had acted the previous night. He had been just as excited as she was, and yet she could tell that he was awfully distracted. There was definitely something going on that he wasn't telling her. She hated to believe that Dumbledore would purposefully keep something from her that might have to do with her missions. _So, it has to be something else entirely, _she thought as she headed for the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

"Morning boys!" she exclaimed as she skipped to a spot reserved for her across from Harry and Ron.

"Well someone's awfully chipper this morning," Ron teased as he took a bite of his eggs.

"Yeah, 'Mione. What's gotten into you?" Harry added as he spread jam across a piece of toast.

"Well, it's just a lovely day today, isn't it?" Hermione replied, her smile broadening. Harry and Ron exchanged looks, but didn't comment any further.

After Hermione ate a slice of toast, she said, "You two better hurry up before I just leave here without you." The boys stared questioningly at her. Hermione just shrugged in response, so the boys quickly began shoving their breakfast into their mouths.

"Whah te russ?" Ron inaudibly asked, bits of bacon spewing everywhere. Hermione's face contorted in disgust.

"Ew. Ron, chew first, ask questions later."

Ron finished his mouthful. "What's the rush?" he asked again before spooning more food in. Hermione shrugged once more.

"No reason," was all she supplied. The boys finished their breakfast, and the trio walked out onto the grounds.

"What's on the agenda today?" Harry asked as they walked past the gates.

"Well… I did want to check out the new arrivals at the bookstore," Hermione answered, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Uh huhhhh…. So that's why you were so eager to come to Hogsmeade," Harry stated teasingly, then shrugged. "That's alright. Ron and I wanted to check out the new Quidditch gear anyway. So, why don't we meet back at The Three Broomsticks?"

Hermione and Ron nodded and were about to separate, but just then, they heard an evil cackle from behind them.

"So, Potty and the Weasel think the new Quidditch gear would actually help them?!" The trio turned and behind them, found none other than Draco Malfoy, sneering. "Oh, that's rich! Not as rich as me, of course… And the mudblood wants a book? There's a shocker."

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron raged.

"Yeah," agreed Harry, "and who said you could butt your way into a private conversation?"

Malfoy's smirk grew. "I just couldn't help myself, Potter. It was like a welcoming invitation."

Harry plastered his own smirk upon his face. "Bet your father loved his welcoming invitation, eh? Straight into Azkaban."

Hermione just stood off on the sidelines, frozen. What was she to do? She was torn. She couldn't back up her friends, for fear of botching her little progress with Malfoy; and, she couldn't stand up to her friends because that would rise too many questions she wasn't willing to answer. Either way, things wouldn't end very nicely. So, she just stood there uncomfortably as she watched Malfoy's expression grow darker. She tried to think of a plausible solution. And, just as Malfoy was about to say his comeback, Hermione finally spoke.

"Come on, let's go." She started to pull the boys further down the path, and Harry and Ron immediately obeyed, trekking their way to the Quidditch store. Slowly following them, Hermione turned around on a whim. She looked straight into Malfoy's silver orbs and mouthed one word before turning back around and continuing on to her destination. She didn't even wait to see Malfoy's eyebrows rise to his hairline and his eyes grow wide with shock. No one had ever said "Sorry," to him and seemed to have meant it.

In the bookstore, Hermione looked through the books, but wasn't really seeing the words. She never thought she could think such a thing, but when she'd told Malfoy she was sorry, she'd meant it. They all knew from Sirius how terrible Azkaban was, and Harry of all people knew how the dementors there could affect people. That Azkaban remark must have hurt Malfoy as much as it would have hurt Harry to hear someone make such a remark about Sirius. True, Sirius had been innocent and Lucius Malfoy was - well, Lucius Malfoy. But still, the basic idea was the same. She knew Malfoy had always treated them like the scum of the Earth, but, as of late, she had seen moments when he'd seemed vulnerable and tired, like an actual human being. And, she was beginning to understand, that even though he would never show it, Malfoy could be hurt just like any other person.

But what scared Hermione was the fact that she was able to see the slight change in him after Harry's snarky remark. She was positive that Harry and Ron weren't able to catch it, but there was a small glint to Malfoy's eyes that appeared, and just as quickly as it came, vanished. She didn't know how to deal with that; she truly was getting closer to her enemy, even if it wasn't reciprocated. Not only was Hermione able to know what made him tick, she also knew what hurt his feelings, which she just realized he must have somewhere under that cold, callous exterior.

Hermione found the book she was looking for and went to pay for it at the counter. After small talk with the clerk, she said her thanks, took her bag, and headed towards the Three Broomsticks to meet Harry and Ron. Settling into their usual booth and ordering three butterbeers, Hermione thought more on the Malfoy mystery.

_First Dumbledore, now Malfoy?! _Hermione wondered, _am I just being paranoid? Or perhaps both of them are hiding the same secret…_

If Hermione was good at anything it all, it was figuring out a good mystery.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ugh!" Hermione shrieked as she threw her hands up in the air. "It's no use!"

Harry chuckled beside her. "Relax Hermione. It's only an essay." To prove his point, he held up his own scroll of parchment, showing the few scrawled sentences on it.

Hermione gave him a pointed look. "No, not the essay. Look." She pointed towards the doors of the library, where Ron and Lavender Brown had just walked through. "Are they joined at the hip or something?"

Harry shrugged and continued to search the tome in front of him, but Hermione continued to watch the pair, her face contorted with disgust. Lavender was leading Ron to a part of the library where Hermione herself rarely ventured- "The Couples' Corner."

On the pretext of returning a book to its proper place, Hermione took off to where she had last seen the couple. The two hadn't gone much farther. She could hear Lavender giggling madly a few rows ahead. Hermione's eyes narrowed. The truth of the matter was that Hermione harbored some romantic feelings for her red-headed friend, though she would never admit to it. Her feelings for Ron never made much sense to her because she rarely actually liked the bloke. The two of them were always in some sort of row or another. She liked to chalk it up to the old saying "opposites attract" because otherwise she had no other explanation for why she felt the way she did.

"Won-Won! Quit it!" she heard Lavender shriek before letting out a squeal of delight.

"Disgusting," Hermione muttered as she put the book on a random shelf, too preoccupied with what she was hearing to care much if the text was put back properly.

"I couldn't agree with you more, mudblood. It's so sweet, I'm getting cavities." Hermione jumped at the sound of Malfoy's voice. She hadn't noticed him leaning against the bookshelf a few feet down from her.

"So," Malfoy began, shifting his weight so that he was facing Hermione. "What would bring _you _to this part of the library, Granger?" he stopped to sneer at her. "Merlin knows you're not here for a snog session."

She snorted. "And why would you think that, Malfoy? Perhaps I am here for a snog session." She sent him a sneer of her own. "After all, it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for, right?"

Malfoy's eyes widened infinitesimally; so much so that Hermione wondered if she had just imagined it. It was then that she realized what a guy's perspective would get out of her implications, and she gave a small shudder. "I'll have to keep that in mind," Draco said, walking past Hermione.

"Wait, Malfoy," she began, causing Malfoy to stop mid stride. "I've been meaning to ask you…"

Draco turned to face her once more. "Now listen closely, Granger, because I'm only going to say this once. Nothing in this world would make me want to touch filth such as yourself. So, no, I will not snog you."

Hermione's scowl turned to a grimace. "Conceited prat," she growled. "That's far from the question I had in mind."

"Then what do you want?" It was clear to Hermione that Draco was annoyed. She decided to continue regardless, though the wording eluded her.

She made sure that she softened the features of her face before continuing. She wanted Draco to be convinced that she was sincere, though she wasn't sure if she actually was. "Have you been- that is to say, I've noticed that-"

"Spit it out Granger."

Hermione squared her shoulders. "It seems as if you've been under some strain lately, and I just wanted to know if you were okay." _I swear, it's solely for the sake of my mission, _she vowed.

Draco stared at her coolly for a long moment. In the silence, Hermione secretly panicked; had she made him angry at her? _When haven't I? _she countered.

Finally, Draco answered. "I'm fine, Granger. And, I would appreciate it if you butt out of matters that do not concern you." He swiftly stalked off after that.

Hermione was grounded to the spot. "That's it?!" No curses? Or hexes? Not even an insult or two?

"Won-Won! You're squeezing too hard!"

"Gross!" Hermione muttered as she hurried back to the table where she left Harry. As she took her seat, she saw him skimming his potions textbook. "You're not going to find Transfiguration answers in your potions book," she announced.

Harry's head snapped up as he closed the book quickly, but not before Hermione could see that the pages were filled with a tiny scrawl, mostly in the margins. "Hey, Hermione. When did you get back?"

"…Just now. Harry, can I borrow your potions text?"

"But you have yours in your backpack. I saw it in there when I borrowed your quill." Harry began to act nervously, only furthering Hermione's suspicions.

"Did you write in your book?" she asked.

"No, no. of course not."

"Well then. Who did?" Harry stared at her for a long time, debating. Then, he hung his head in defeat and began to tell her about how he was doing so well in potions- because of the Half-Blood Prince's suggestions.

"Harry!" Hermione scolded, "are you insane?! Nothing good can come from a stranger's advice! It could hurt somebody! You have no idea where that information is even coming from! How could you be so reck-"

Harry interrupted her. "The Half-Blood Prince hasn't lead me astray so far."

"Yes, Harry. So Far. Good things can only last for so long. Besides, if you felt it was so safe, then how come you haven't told me about it until now?"

"Because I knew you'd react irrationally and tell me you want me to get rid of the book."

"Good idea. I want you to get rid of the book."

Harry groaned. "I'm telling you! Everything is going to be fine. So stop worrying!" With that, Harry gathered his belongings and left Hermione alone with her thoughts.

"Boys!" Hermione scoffed to herself, thinking not only of both Ron and Harry, but Draco Malfoy as well.

* * * * *

Hermione paced back and forth at the base of the Entrance Hall stairwell. Malfoy was late- the third time that week. He seemed to have been shirking on his duties as a prefect. _I'm going to give him five more minutes before I leave without him. _Her rage began to fester as the seconds ticked by and still no sight of the blonde Slytherin.

After she waited as long as she dared, Hermione decided to just set out on her own. "Dumbledore won't like this one bit," she mumbled to herself, contemplating on telling him about Draco's absence. "We're not supposed to be wandering alone."

Peeved, she checked off the third floor corridor before heading up to the next. "He's just so inconsiderate!" she practically shouted. Draco's rudeness was beginning to get on her nerves. She paused, a thought occurring to her. "Oh, great! Now I'm talking to myself!"

She continued her rant in her head. _Ugh! The next time I see that prat, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind, mission be damned!_

It was then that Hermione noticed something odd in her normal routine; Draco's insults were missing. She couldn't remember the last time he spat some awful remark in her direction. Hermione began to back track in her memory all the recent encounters she had with the Slytherin.

As she began to ponder on the matter, she recalled glimpses of Draco strolling nonchalantly past her, not bothering to look in her direction. It wasn't too uncommon, so Hermione quickly dismissed the notion. What _was _unusual, however, was the fact that Malfoy hadn't bothered to show up lately for any of the classes they shared. Was that because of her, or simply because he didn't want to go?

Hermione hadn't seen much of Draco at all, not to mention the lack of insults; that seemed to be one of Draco's favorite pastimes. That on top of him neglecting prefect duties gave Hermione the feeling that he was avoiding her.

But, why would he do that? Why go way out of his way just to avoid seeing her? As Hermione rounded the corner, she came up with a theory. Perhaps the reason was because Hermione was freaking him out with her sudden friendliness. Was that it? Had Hermione frightened him by being so… Un-Hermione? Or was she just being paranoid? _Either way, I think I need to switch tactics. This isn't working…_

Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy was leaving the Room of Requirements. "You two can shove off now," he commanded to two girls at each end of the corridor. Crabbe and Goyle nodded and grunted about being hungry. They left, leaving Draco alone.

As Draco walked towards the Slytherin common room, he sighed deeply. It was hard work, the task he had to complete. But, it wasn't enough. _What if I don't get the cabinet fixed in time? _he wondered, his confidence in himself wavering. _I need to do more. Dumbledore can't-_

He slammed into something solid; he had been so caught up in his thoughts that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. He looked up from where he lay sprawled on the floor to find that he had run into someone.

"Pleasant evening," Dumbledore called from above Draco, offering his good hand to help him up. Draco ignored the proffered hand and stood on his own.

"Only to old fools such as yourself," he sneered boldly. Draco was suddenly enraged that the subject of his conflicts stood before him.

Dumbledore merely chuckled, which only infuriated Draco further. "Perhaps my perceptions are a bit misguided in my years compared to yours," Draco could detect a glimpse of knowledge in the headmaster's eyes, "so I can see your point."

Draco seethed as he brushed past Dumbledore to continue on his way. "One moment, Mister Malfoy," Dumbledore called out, "I wonder if I may have a word."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I have a word for you, all right. Bonkers," he replied as he began to stalk off.

Dumbledore easily caught up to him. "Shouldn't you be on patrol duty, Draco?" he asked conversationally.

Draco scoffed. "Please. Nothing's going to happen besides finding students out of bed. Hardly worth the effort." _Trust me. I would know, _he thought silently.

"All the same, I would have liked to have comfort in knowing that no one is wandering the halls alone." Draco said nothing, but instead hurried his pace along the corridor. "How's your mother lately?" The Slytherin stopped in his tracks. "Is she well?"

After finding his voice again, Malfoy managed to spit out, "That's really none of your business, old man."

"Of course. Forgive me. I just hoped we'd be able to chat about some things." Dumbledore's eyes gleamed once more, giving Draco the feeling that Dumbledore could see right through him as though he knew what was going on in Draco's mind. It made Draco feel uncomfortable to say the least, so he continued on without a word to his headmaster.

Dumbledore watched him go. "I'll be here if ever you decide to chat."

Draco looked back at Dumbledore, confused. _Does he know? _Draco asked himself. _Does he know he's close to death?_

* * * * *

Hermione plopped onto her bed, exhausted. Doing patrols alone was more tedious than she would have thought. _More boring too, _she added. She kicked off her Mary Janes and climbed under the covers, not bothering to change into nightwear. Almost as soon as she closed her eyes, Hermione had fallen asleep…

_She was in a vast, open field as the moonlight shone down on her pale skin, making it look almost translucent. She sat upon a large rock, seeming to be waiting for someone. While she waited, she hummed a lullaby her mother used to sing to her when she was little. _

_A rustling behind her made her turn her head to see what caused it. There he was, whoever he was, masked in the darkness. His silhouette moved closer towards her, and she smiled brightly._

"_Good evening, Colette," he spoke, his glorious tenor washing over her and making her shiver._

_Colette's grin widened. "What kept you, my love?"_

"_The moon is not full; it is hard to see with such little natural light."_

"_So, why not bring a lamp with you on your travels?" Colette implored._

_The mysterious man shrugged. "Think of how that would have been to an outsider."_

_Colette did think of it just then. "Oh," was all she replied, realizing that he would have been spotted easily if he carried a lamp with him. Being incognito would be best under such situations._

"_Well, it pleases me all the same that you've come to rendezvous with me," she whispered as she drew nearer to the man before her, enclosing him in her arms…_

Hermione bolted upright in her bed at Hogwarts. "Colette…" She let the name roll off her tongue as she scrambled to retrieve her dream journal from the nightstand. Jotting down what she recalled, Hermione noticed that not once did she see the mysterious man's face, nor hear his name. But, she shrugged it off, thinking she would take what she could get. Besides, she was sure she would find out the man's identity in a different dream.

"It's morning already?" she asked herself. It seemed as if she had just drifted off to sleep, but as Hermione took a look around her bedroom, she noticed the sun pouring through the curtains, making rays of light dance about her floor. Deciding to make the most of it, she finished her thoughts in her journal before beginning the new day.

It was Saturday, so Hermione decided to hang out in the common room until Harry and Ron woke. With everything going on in her life, she felt as if she hadn't spent time with her friends at all, even though she had seen them both just the day before.

Only after she clambered down the stairs to the common room, however, Hermione remembered that Ron and Harry, along with Ginny and the others, were at Quidditch practice. She sighed in slight disappointment and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. If there was still time after she ate, she would head towards the pitch to watch the end of practice.

The Great Hall was more crowded than usual, but Hermione could still pick out Luna Lovegood sitting at the Gryffindor table. As much as Hermione found her rantings about imaginary creatures mildly annoying, she grew used to them and began to enjoy the company of the Ravenclaw. Too many people at Hogwarts didn't stop to see that Luna really wasn't just weird or "loony," but was rather quite brilliant; and brilliance is one thing that Hermione would respect in anyone.

"Morning, Luna," she greeted as she took a seat next to the girl.

"Oh, hullo, Hermione," Luna acknowledged as she poured over the most recent issue of _The Quibbler. _

Hermione put jam on her toast. "How's your dad doing?"

"Oh, wonderful! He's about to go on a trip to South America to track down the Waist-High Waterfigs. They're a delicacy for the Great Longtailed Seeches, you know."

"Really? I thought the Seeches were only a myth."

"That's what the Ministry wants everyone to believe. My father and I know differently, and we're going to blow the Ministry's secret right out of the water."

Hermione laughed to herself. "Is that why your father needs to find the Waterfigs?"

Luna looked at her pointedly. "I can't classify that information just yet. It could ruin all of my dad's hard work."

"Oh, right. I'm terribly sorry. Well, be sure to send me the issue once it's out. I'd love to read all about it."

Luna smiled and nodded, returning to her magazine. In the silence, Hermione peered over at the Slytherin table, but it was in vain; Draco Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. _He seems to disappear a lot, _she noticed. Harry's words began to ring in her ears. She couldn't help but think that perhaps there was some truth to what Harry had said about Draco.

_Could Malfoy be a Death Eater? _She asked herself and not for the first time. Was he working on some task from Voldemort? Was Harry in danger? Was that why Dumbledore wanted her to get close to him? Hermione wasn't liking the way her thoughts were going, but deep down, she knew that somehow it was all true.

Hermione realized more than ever the importance of her missions. If she didn't, at the very least, plant a seed of doubt in her enemy's mind, it could be possible that she could lose someone else she cared for deeply to this war.

_Wasn't Sirius enough? It still hurts to know he's never coming back. _Hermione suddenly stood. To Luna, she announced, "I'm going to go watch the Gryffindor team practice. I'll see you around." As an after thought, she added, "Unless you care to join me?"

Luna shook her head. "You go on. I'm really enthralled in this article about the gang of gambling banshees who try to lure rich folk into caves and take all their galleons."

Hermione smiled and bid Luna adieu. _Gambling banshees indeed!_


	8. Chapter 8

_The night sky shone brightly above them; The stars twinkled as if they were dancing to music that no one else could hear. The pair were in an open field, cuddled together and just staring into the beautiful darkness that the sky offered. So content in her lover's arms, Colette smiled. "I could stay here, just like this for all of eternity," she said, meaning every word._

_"Aye, me as well," her counterpart responded, "but you are such a dreamer, my love. What we wish for is not what is our reality." _

_Not wanting his realist perceptions to ruin the moment, Colette sat up quickly, full of smiles yet, and exclaimed, "Then let us wish upon the stars above us that they grant our hearts' every desires, starting with us being as filled with joy our whole lives as we are this very second!"_

_He couldn't help not to smile as well; his Colette was just so full of life, she couldn't help spreading it to others. Pulling out his wand, he replied, "Or mayhap we could make such a spell in which you speak." He twirled the wood between his fingers, a part of him hoping that such a spell could really exist._

_But, Colette thought differently; she frowned in response. "Stars have more appeal, methinks. To have a wish come true just because you will it so fills you with more joy than waving around a wand. Do you not agree, Caelum?"_

_He laughed. "I'm torn on the matter." He pulled Colette back down so that she was once more cradled in his arms. "Let's discuss the subject no longer."_

_Colette was happy to oblige. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply in contentment, letting the perfect moment wash through her. She made a mental note to always remember this night. _

_"I invented the Golden Snitch for Quidditch, you know," Caelum murmured sleepily. _

_Laughing, Colette replied, "You did no such thing! It was Bowman Wright who mastered such metal charming!" _

_"Aye, he mayhap done with the charming, but it was I who thought of it. The idea sprouted itself in my thoughts on a night such as this. Although, that night, I did not have my Colette near." He leaned closer towards her, gently cupping her cheek, and planted a tender kiss on her…_

Hermione awoke to a loud clatter. Sitting up in bed, she saw Lavender picking up random cosmetics scattered about the floor that had tumbled out of her makeup bag. Deciding that she might as well not bother going back to sleep, Hermione jotted down the contents of her dream into her journal. She made sure that she wrote down the man's name immediately, not wanting it to elude her later.

Try as she might, Hermione couldn't make out Caelum's features yet. She had the feeling that she was in a dream, she was certain of it. So, she had attempted to focus more on the mysterious man, hoping she could find out something about him that would lead her further in the right direction in her research. But, it didn't quite work out the way she wanted. The only thing she could make out was that Caelum's eyes were a mixture of blue and gray. And that wasn't likely to help her out much at all, would it?

It was Wednesday, and not only did that mean that she had classes to get to, but she also had a meeting with Snape to take more of the potion. While getting ready for the day, she wondered how long she would have to take it; not only the potion, but Snape's cutting remarks as well. Add that to the lack of progress with Malfoy, it was no wonder that Hermione felt as though she was stuck in a rut in her life.

Considering the early hour, Hermione decided to get a quick bite to eat(which meant only a few pieces of toast) and then to go to the library to do yet more research. She was curious about who Caelum was and how he fit into her missions. She made the plan to go over any birth records that she could get her hands on. The only problem was, she only had a general time frame to go by. She knew that the DeFonte line was lost in the late 1400's, but Colette and Caelum's time could have been any time before that. Hermione just hoped that she would get lucky. It was all she had left to go by.

* * * * *

Researching led to nothing. Even during Hermione's free period, she went back to the library and came out with bupkiss. Needless to say, she was losing confidence in figuring this out. Even with the memories, she wouldn't be able to put everything together in time. Normally, research never led Hermione astray. It was always there for her to fall back on, and it always came out with something productive. But this time, it was different. It was as if someone deliberately tried to erase the DeFontes from every book they could get their hands on. It was time to speak with Dumbledore.

But, he was never around. And, when he was, he was always so busy. Hermione felt like she was truly alone in figuring out this mystery. The only other person that knew about everything was Snape, and Hermione would rather die a thousand deaths than to figure it out with a professor that openly despised her.

The only comfort Hermione could take into account was the fact that the reason why Dumbledore was so busy (mostly) was because he was having his own meetings with Harry. Her friend had told both her and Ron earlier that day that the two of them were trying to dig into Voldemort's past to help Harry in the final battle. But was it so wrong of her to want some Dumbledore time for herself as well? After all, it was Dumbledore who put her missions upon her shoulders. Deep down though, Hermione knew it wasn't the fact that she never seemed to meet with Dumbledore lately; it was the fact that she needed someone to confide in. Keeping such huge secrets from her friends was beginning to weigh greatly on her conscience. She realized she was starting to withdraw from them more and more every day just because she couldn't even be around them without feeling immense guilt.

Which, after classes were over, brought her straight back into the library. She was ready to immerge herself completely in research, just hoping that it would somehow bring her the key she needed to blow the mystery wide open.

Back at the books, Hermione was lost in her surroundings. She stayed for hours until every other student in the library had gone to the Great Hall for dinner. She stayed long after Madam Pince left for bed, with a promise to lock up the library when she was done(something Hermione had done many times before). She stayed so long that she had fallen asleep on top of the book she had been perusing…

_Hermione could see Colette's back a few yards ahead of her, at the edge of a forest. She knew it was Colette though she couldn't see her face. She decided to get closer and began to swiftly stroll towards her ancestor, wondering if she could maybe talk to her somehow. After all, this dream was very different than the others. Hermione herself never actually showed up in them, she just saw what was happening. _

_But as she drew closer to Colette, Hermione noticed that her shoulders were shaking profusely. Standing just to the side of her ancestor, she could see that Colette had her arm across her face, leaning against the trunk of a tree. Colette was crying. No tears of joy could ever cause someone to cry as much as Colette was. Her whole heart was weeping tears of sorrow, and Hermione instantly felt Colette's despair, could feel that her whole body hurt with internal pain. _

_Just as Hermione was about to put a hand on Colette's shoulder for comfort, she felt…_

She felt a hand upon her own shoulder, roughly shaking it so that her whole body quaked with the movement. She opened her eyes to and saw a pair of silver orbs staring back at her.

"What are you doing in Gryffindor Tower?!" exclaimed Hermione.

Draco Malfoy snorted. "Ha! Take a look around, Granger. You're not in Kansas anymore."

Ignoring the jibe on the muggle movie The Wizard of Oz based off a real witch's life, Hermione took a look around and realized she was still in the library. Rubbing her right eye sleepily, she turned back to Malfoy and simple said, "Oh."

Amused, Draco asked, "So, what's the little mudblood studying up on?" He peered over Hermione's shoulder. "Birth records? What are you doing with birth records?"

Still sleepy, Hermione wanted to say, "None of your bloody business," but at the last second, she remembered her mission and instantly shut her mouth. If Draco Malfoy was, for whatever reason, actually talking to her, she was going to remain as civil as possible. So, instead she replied, "I'm doing some extra credit research."

Hermione could tell that he didn't exactly believe her, but he didn't call her out on it. Instead, he said, "We're supposed to be doing Prefect duties. Dumbledore basically shoved me through the door, spouting about the importance of sticking together and blah, blah, blah."

"Holy crow! I forgot all about patrolling tonight!"

"Oh, so the great, Almighty Granger isn't perfect after all," Draco replied, chuckling softly.

"I'm hardly perfect, Malfoy. And I'm definitely not Almighty."

Draco immediately ceased all laughing and gave Hermione an odd, searching look. "What?" she asked after a moment.

"Nothing," he replied, "Let's just get this over with."

After Hermione gathered all her things and placed the books back on the shelves, she started out the library. She found Malfoy pacing in front of the library doors, lost in thought. She walked towards him and waited until he finally took notice of her.

Wordlessly, they started patrolling the corridors. Both seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, so preoccupied with them that they really weren't paying attention to their surroundings. Twice, they passed two fourth years who had gone into an empty classroom for a little tête-à-tête.

Then, a random thought broke through her conflicts- she felt comfortable walking next to Malfoy. That in and of itself was rather strange, for Malfoy never made her feel comfortable. Angry, sad, irked, among others, sure; but never anything slightly as positive as comfortable. She chanced a glance at him, confused with her own emotions.

"Granger?"

Hermione was startled that Draco had broken the silence between them. "Er- yeah?"

When Draco didn't say anything right away, Hermione turned to look at him. He was staring straight ahead, a look of consternation flittering about his features. "What is it, Malfoy?" Hermione noticed that there was a smidgen of concern in her tone, but she hoped that her usual assuredness would mask all other emotions that had seeped out into her voice.

Malfoy looked as if he were going to confide in something, but at the last second, he sneered maliciously, reminding Hermione of the reason she loathed the guy. "I was just wondering if your hair could get any bushier. I mean, Great Merlin, Granger! It looks like a nest of nifflers are sitting atop your head!"

Hermione normally would have taken offense to what he had said, but she felt that she knew the Slytherin better than she used to, if only slightly. She knew right away what he was doing; Malfoy probably figured out that avoiding her, if that was what he was truly doing, wouldn't work for long. So, with what he said, it was his way of trying to figure out why she no longer rose to the occasion and shouted insults back at him.

Hermione smiled at the thought. She was really getting to Draco; he can't seem to fathom why she had been so nice to him. Was she finally starting to make leeway in her mission? "Well," she began to reply, "you should keep in mind I just woke up not too long ago. Besides, I'm sure it could get worse. You should see it in the humidity. My parents and I took a trip to Jamaica once, and it all just became a big, frizzy mess." She looked at Draco once more, and he was looking back at her with a look of contempt. Hermione was suddenly amused. If she didn't happen to succeed in her mission, she decided that messing with Malfoy would be just as well. "Have you ever been to Jamaica? It's quite lovely there."

"Have you ever been off your rocker? Because I think there's something wrong with you upstairs."

"Oh, I assure you, nothing's wrong with my head. Why would you think such things, Malfoy?"

And that's what made Draco snap. "Because you're suddenly being so bloody nice! I could insult you to no end right now, and you'd just continue on as if we're having civilized conversation! There's something fishy going on here, and I want to know what it is!" he had stopped walking by this time, and Hermione with him. He took a step towards her. "Tell me what's going on. Now!"

"I think you're being paranoid, Malfoy. Nothing's changed."

Draco scrutinized her face. "You're lying!" he finally concluded. "I could call you a mudblood a million times over, and you wouldn't care in the least." As if to prove his point, he said in a sing-song voice, "Mudblood, mudblood, mudblood. You're a filthy, dirty mudblood."

Hermione just stood there, a small smile curling her lips upward. "You see?!" Draco began, "You're smiling! Actually smiling! You used to flinch at the word. So, don't tell me that nothing's changed because it has!"

On a whim, Hermione decided to joke with the Slytherin. "You know, Malfoy, I've never heard you call anyone else a mudblood before. Merlin knows I'm not the only muggleborn at Hogwarts. Perhaps I've come to the conclusion that it's your twisted term of endearment for me." She had no idea if he called anyone else mudblood or not, but she thought that by saying so, it would frustrate him further. Hermione just realized she enjoyed getting him worked up. It happened so little, she never really took notice before, or maybe the feeling itself is something new to their routine. Either way, she found that it pleased her greatly when he would let loose some emotion from his metaphorical bottle. Besides open hatred and hostility, Malfoy rarely let any other feeling show. Hermione felt a small amount of pride at being able to make him feel anything else.

But, Malfoy didn't find her joke funny at all; instead, he showed just a hint of bewilderment. As soon as it appeared, however, it was gone just as suddenly. He took a step back from her, and Hermione instantly felt deflated. Why she would feel such a thing, she wasn't sure.

"Look, Granger," Draco began, "I don't know what it is you're planning," the famous Malfoy glare was back, "but you better keep me out of it."

On that note, Malfoy left Hermione standing alone in the corridor. Looking at his retreating back, Hermione wondered why it was that she felt so differently all of a sudden. Never once in any of their previous spats had she felt so invigorated when Malfoy was near and so empty when he was not. She had started it all to get a rise out of Malfoy, and though she accomplished what she set out for, she never expected that she, herself, would feel such things. It unnerved her to know that not only could she bring out certain emotions in her enemy, he could in turn bring out some unexpected emotions within her as well.

Why is it that all her plans lately seemed to be flawed?!

"It's not fair!" she exclaimed to herself as she stomped her way towards the Gryffindor Tower, frustrated all over again.

So, Malfoy was on to her. Granted, he has no idea about her mission, but he does seem to know that Hermione wasn't acting like herself. And, in knowing that, Hermione was sure that Draco wouldn't be so keen to let anything else happen. So, what was she to do if she wanted to gain her enemy's trust when he wants absolutely nothing to do with her?

Hermione wasn't sure, but she knew she had to think fast.


	9. Chapter 9

"So, it would seem as if you finally get your wish."

Hermione Granger gulped down the last of the altered memory-retrieving potion and set the vial down on a nearby desk. Looking at her ex-Potions Professor, she asked, "And what wish would that be exactly?"

Snape's voice dripped with disdain as he answered, "Dumbledore has finally managed to spare some extra time to meet with the likes of you."

Hermione decided to let the slight jibe at her slide, caring more about the fact that she would finally be able to meet with her headmaster. "When am I supposed to meet with him?" she asked, eager to begin working out the mysterious DeFonte puzzle.

"Tonight. It will be after curfew, of course. but, then again, your privileged little group has gotten away with breaking curfew often enough that it shouldn't be any trouble for you. I trust that I don't need to remind you that you'll have to remain unseen, considering you already know everything."

"I'm surprised you'd admit I know everything," Hermione retorted, unable to mask her rage any longer, "since you never seem to recognize anything I say in your class as anything but incorrect."

"Very witty, Miss Granger," Snape began, "but obviously you can't comprehend sarcasm much." He sneered; _What's with every Slytherin sneering? _Hermione wondered vaguely. _Is that their signature or something? Was it written in a Slytherin handbook somewhere? _Hermione didn't know. "With brains like yours, I wonder how you think you'll survive in the real world after Hogwarts."

Slightly caught off guard, Hermione simply told him of her plans for the future. "I plan to work at the Ministry; the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, to be exact."

"Well then, you should make yourself useful and learn Ministry protocols instead of gallivanting around with your partners in crime. It's no wonder I prefer my own house students above most others. Students like Draco know how to operate a business; they know how to succeed."

"Yeah. Students like Malfoy also know how to get locked up in Azkaban." Feeling the need to have the last say in the matter, for it did wonders for her ego, Hermione quickly left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She didn't want to stick around simply because she knew that Snape wasn't likely to let her get away with that comment.

Hermione's stomach growled, and she inwardly groaned. She had skipped her lunch period to go see Snape and take another dose of the potion. But now, she was hungry. Classes were well under way already, so she made a quick pit stop at the kitchens. Dobby was glad to see her, though none of the other house elves came to greet her. Over the summer, they had learned to stay clear of her because she kept insisting they ask Dumbledore for some compensation for all their hard work.

After Dobby sent her off with some "finger foods," Hermione continued down the corridors. Aside from the small spat with Snape, Hermione felt exuberant. She finally would have a meeting with Dumbledore! Hermione had so much she needed to share with the headmaster. She needed to pick apart his brain to help her make sense of what she found out about the DeFontes.

The only thing that she was wary about was how she could go about the halls of Hogwarts after curfew and remain unseen by any professors or prefects. After all, Snape basically told her to do just that. She knew that the advice wasn't coming from Snape himself- he would just love to see her get caught breaking curfew. No, the advice most likely came from Dumbledore.

_What I need, _Hermione thought to herself, _is to be invisible. _The moment she thought the word, Hermione literally smacked herself on her forehead. _Of course! Harry's invisibility cloak! _As soon as her hope came, however, it quickly diminished. She couldn't just ask to borrow it because it would raise too many suspicions, and Harry would want to know why she needed it. _But I have no other choice…_

"Harry won't miss it," she told herself, "I'll return it as soon as I'm finished. I'm sure he would let me use it if I could ask him." Regardless of what she told herself, however, Hermione felt immense guilt for not asking first. But, desperate times call for desperate measures.

With the issue resolved, Hermione finished the walk to Transfiguration. Entering the classroom, she took her usual seat beside Harry and Ron. Her classmates were already beginning their lesson and McGonagall gave her a stern look but didn't comment about her tardiness. Hermione wondered how much her professor knew about her absence. Merlin knows that McGonagall would speak up any other time _anyone _was late.

"Where've you been?" Ron asked.

"Yeah," agreed Harry, "you weren't at lunch today."

Hermione, being the female that she was, used the age-old white lie that all women fall back on. "Uh, I was in the Hospital Wing for… woman troubles."

"Yet another time Hermione tells us something we don't need to know," Ron muttered to Harry, who chuckled under his breath.

Hearing that comment, on top of Hermione's guilt about planning on taking Harry's invisibility cloak later without asking, put her in a sour mood. Still, she didn't respond to the remark, focusing more on the lesson instead.

Harry and Ron both could tell that Hermione's mood changed dramatically. Harry remained silent, knowing when to quit, but Ron just had to add, "Yep. Definitely her time of the month."

Hermione was livid; mostly at herself for lying outright to her friends, but also because, well, it actually _wasn't _her time of the month. She was just being normal Hermione. She couldn't remain silent any longer and decided to give Ron a piece of her mind. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?!" she shrieked under her breath, "Even Malfoy knows when to draw the line, and we're not even friends!" _Though, I hope to be, should my mission succeed, _she added silently.

Ron shot Hermione a dirty look and asked accusingly, "When have you been talking to Malfoy?!"

"During prefect duties," Hermione said simply before thinking back over the past months. "You two honestly didn't know that?" She looked back and forth between Harry and Ron.

"Of course not!" Harry exclaimed. "Do you think we'd have let you be alone with a Death Eater if we _had _known?!"

Ron nodded his agreement. "What kind of torture tactics has he been using on you anyway?!"

"Nothing, you dolt! You're being stupid!"

"Not everyone can be as smart as you, Hermione!" Ron shot back.

"Please," Harry began, lowering his voice, "this isn't the time to get into this." It was true; the trio were beginning to receive curious looks from classmates around them.

"Look," Hermione started, leaning in towards the two, "so I _forgot _to tell you! I thought you already knew!" She paused before adding, "Besides, you two _purposefully _kept a secret from me. You were reluctant to tell me about the Half-Blood Prince."

"The Half-Blood Prince isn't dangerous like Malfoy is. He's helpful," Harry replied, still defending the mysterious wizard.

"It is extremely dangerous to take magical advise from someone you don't know," Hermione scolded, "Maybe even more so." Looking at her two best friends, Hermione continued. "This obviously is leading us nowhere. We'll just have to agree to disagree. Let's just drop it."

For the rest of the class, Harry and Ron didn't speak to Hermione. She didn't exactly try to talk to them, either, angry as she was. She didn't understand why they were so angry. It wasn't as if she could do anything to change the fact that she patrolled with Malfoy. Dumbledore had made it so.

As awful as the situation was, though, it was easier for Hermione. With Harry and Ron peeved at her, it was easier for her to sneak away for her meeting with Dumbledore. Both boys had Quidditch practice, so Hermione took the opportunity to take a trip to Harry's dorm to borrow his invisibility cloak.

And then, she waited until an appropriate time to head upstairs to her own dormitory, claiming to be tired to anyone left in the common room, and then put on the invisibility cloak.

Once she was out in the corridors, she relaxed greatly. There was no turning back now, and she had no other complications reaching Dumbledore's office. "Acid pops," she whispered and watched as the stone gargoyle jumped to the side, revealing a set of stairs.

Once she was safe behind the statue, Hermione took off the cloak and knocked on the door. "Come in," she heard the familiar voice of her headmaster say from the other side.

Hermione walked into Dumbledore's office and immediately sat down. "Good evening, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said as he smiled kindly from the other side of the desk. "I believe this get together is far over due, wouldn't you agree?"

Relieved, Hermione said, "Yes. I've been going mad trying to figure out what I've seen."

Dumbledore nodded. "I implore you to forgive me, Hermione. I've been very occupied these past three months. It's no excuse, but nonetheless I apologize."

"I know you're busy with Harry," Hermione stated, knowing that Harry's understanding of Voldemort was just as important as her own missions.

"Too true, but still, your missions should have had equal attention," Dumbledore replied before getting on with the task at hand. "So, tell me. What is your stand with Draco?"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Malfoy is continuing to remain a challenge. He seems to have caught on that I'm… not myself around him."

"So, naturally, he's been avoiding you. Is that correct?"

Hermione nodded. "For a time, yes. Or, at least, I thought he was."

Dumbledore gave her a look over the rims of his half-moon spectacles. "But he stopped?"

Shrugging, Hermione replied, "I guess so." Seeing where Dumbledore's thoughts were leading, she continued, "But I don't think it's because I've made any progress with him. I think it has more to do with the fact that he got tired of trying to avoid me."

"Regardless, you shouldn't lose faith in yourself," Dumbledore began, "Be persistent, and you'll succeed. I believe in you." Having no more to add to the subject, Dumbledore asked, "And what of your dreams?"

Hermione dove straight into the information she had kept to herself, leaving out nothing. She spoke of Colette and Caelum's obvious love, about Colette as a person (from what Hermione saw), and the fact that she had no idea of Caelum's last name. She touched briefly on the little information she found while doing research in the library, mainly the fact that the DeFontes were a very political family in their day. And lastly, she told Dumbledore of her last memory, the one where Colette was sobbing with sorrow. "It was unlike the other memories for two reasons," Hermione told him, "One being that she wasn't happy like she was in the others, and I had a feeling that it was because she was lonely. And, secondly, I was actually in the memory with her. If I hadn't been interrupted, I'm sure I could have talked to her."

Through it all, Dumbledore remained silent, only nodding to indicate that he was listening intently. "What has me interested the most is this Caelum fellow," Dumbledore said. "We must learn more about him. Did you happen to see what he looked like?"

"I tried once," Hermione admitted, "but it didn't work out very well. He was still so blurry. All I got from it was his eye color. They were gray."

"Is that so?" Dumbledore asked, thoughts swirling in his head. He motioned to Hermione to continue as he got up and began to search through the books on the shelf behind him.

"Uh, yes," Hermione began, watching Dumbledore in bewilderment. "Also, the time frame seems to be in the 1400's. Of course, I'm roughly guessing based on Colette's clothing, so I may be wrong."

"That would seem about right, if this is of any help to us," Dumbledore said as he turned around to face Hermione once more. He set a book down in front of her, opening it to a certain page. "Could you read this aloud to me? My eyesight isn't what it once was."

Hermione took the book off from the desk and obliged what Dumbledore asked. "Cepheus and Marcelle were a famous political couple in wizarding history. Both purebloods, they preached about the importance of keeping the magic within said lineage. Both went so far as to threaten their rivals with torture, if they couldn't bribe them away first." Looking back up, she asked, "Do you think Cepheus and Marcelle have something to do with Colette and Caelum?"

"It's only a hunch, but I do believe so, yes."

Hermione was confused. "So, who were they? Her parents or something?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I believe they are _his_ parents. Does the excerpt say anything else?"

"Let me check." Hermione went back to reading. "Cepheus and Marcelle's influence in wizarding society grew in the late 1400's. Many purebloods of their time began to share the same views and ideals for the wizarding world. Their sons, Perseus and Caelum, however, didn't involve themselves much in their parents' endeavors. With Cepheus and Marcelle's ambitions, the Malfoy line soon became a powerful one." Hermione's head snapped up. "Malfoy?" was all she could manage.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "However, Caelum was a popular name to use among wizards back then. We cannot presume to believe that this Caelum is the very same from your dream."

"But you suspect as much," Hermione quickly deduced.

"Yes, I do. We cannot close our options, however. So, I am prepared to continue with the research outside of Hogwarts. I'm sure our selection here is very limited on this subject." Hermione nodded, remembering all the wasted hours in the library. Dumbledore then seemed to realize the time. "It's getting late. But, before you go, I would like to talk about your last dream."

"What about it?" Hermione wondered.

"You say you thought the reason why Colette was crying was because she was lonely. Tell me, do you think that it happened before or after Caelum?"

Hermione never thought of this; she always assumed it was before because she seemed so happy in the memories with Caelum. "I thought it was before him, but now that you mention it, I can't be positive. It would make more sense for it to be afterwards." She paused, considering. "But, how do you know there even is an after? Perhaps Colette and Caelum stayed together." Even as she said it, however, she knew that it was a reach.

"Perhaps," was all Dumbledore said on the matter. "For now, I think it would be best for both of us to catch some shuteye. I will meet with you again in a week, same time."

Hermione nodded. "Goodnight, Professor."

"Goodnight."

Hermione left Dumbledore's office, put Harry's invisibility cloak back on, and emerged from behind the gargoyle statue. Walking down the corridor, Hermione contemplated everything she had just discovered.

Before long, Hermione reached the seventh floor on her way to Gryffindor Tower. But, suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching fast behind her. She hugged the wall just in time; Draco Malfoy had swiftly stalked right past her, determination evident in his features. Thinking rationally, Hermione had no idea why he would be anywhere near the seventh floor, considering the time. Already under the invisibility cloak, Hermione decided to follow him.


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione Granger, still under Harry's invisibility cloak, turned the corner just in time to see Draco Malfoy enter the Room of Requirement. _What is he doing in there? _She asked herself as she reached the door. She tried the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge.

"Alohomora," she whispered, just under her breath. She tried the knob again, but the door remained firmly shut. Hermione sighed. Malfoy did something to lock the entrance to the Room of Requirement, and if Hermione knew him at all, then she also knew that he wouldn't be stupid enough to do a simple spell. _Probably similar to what we did to the door for the D.A._

Deciding not to interrupt whatever Malfoy was doing in there, Hermione decided to wait for him in the corridor. She could confront him then. But, hours went by and still Malfoy remained inside. Hermione was confused; she didn't understand why Malfoy would go to the Room of Requirement in the first place, let alone what he could be doing in there for hours on end.

Hermione was falling asleep. She knew she couldn't wait for Draco any longer than she already had. Besides, she needed to return Harry's cloak to him before he noticed it was missing.

Once she was back inside the Gryffindor Common Room, Hermione went up the boys' dormitory stairs and headed to Harry's dorm. Silently, she opened the door and tiptoed across the room to Harry's trunk. She lifted the lid slowly, a creak issuing from the hinges. Harry moaned and turned in his sleep, causing Hermione to cease all movement and wait with bated breath. Seeing that Harry, and the other boys in the dorm room seemed to be peacefully asleep, Hermione took off Harry's cloak and placed it in the trunk. She slowly closed the lid, only a small groan coming from the hinges. Hermione kneeled there, listening intently. Everyone was still asleep, so Hermione rushed to the doorway and closed the door softly behind her. She leaned against the door and breathed a sigh of relief before heading to her own dorm.

Safe and sound in her bed, Hermione began to think about her night's endeavors. Dumbledore hadn't given much information about a certain Slytherin, but he had given her insight on another Malfoy entirely. _Was Caelum a Malfoy? _Hermione wondered. _It makes sense; perhaps that was why Colette was crying. I'd cry that hard too if I found out the love of my life was a Malfoy._

Hermione was curious about Colette; she wanted to know more about her ancestor. She only hoped that Dumbledore could find out more about her. Until then, Hermione would have to settle for what she figured out in her dreams. With that thought, Hermione turned on her side, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep slumber.

_It was like Hermione was watching a movie in her mind. She could see Colette clearly, kneeling before a man Hermione hadn't seen before and clutching at his robes. A woman stood to the man's side, looking down at Colette with poorly masked sympathy. The problem with this "movie," however, was the fact that it seemed to be on mute; Hermione couldn't hear a thing._

_Colette was pleading with this man, tears streaming down her smooth cheeks in pools. The man was shouting at her, his hands motioning all around him. The woman next to him kept shaking her head back and forth, but for what reason, Hermione couldn't say._

Hermione bolted up straight in her bed and immediately grabbed her dream journal. _So, Colette's parents are involved, _Hermione thought as she scribbled down the contents of her dream. She knew, without a doubt, that the new comers to her dream were indeed Colette's parents. It wasn't something she simply deduced by their appearances, though she probably could have. No, Hermione had a gut feeling that told her so. When she first set eyes upon the couple, a surge of love ran through her, much like when she looked at her own parents.

_How strange that I couldn't hear anything, _Hermione thought as she began to get ready for the day. As she grabbed her school uniform and walked to the bathroom, Hermione couldn't help but think that all these memories were going to add up to something big, more than just an explanation as to how the DeFontes came to disappear.

All Hermione could learn now was what became of Colette. Over the last few months, she began to develop a deep connection to her ancestor. Hermione wanted to learn everything about her, mission or no mission.

* * * * *

"He won't listen to reason, Albus!" Severus Snape exclaimed, frustrated. "He thinks he's man enough to do it alone."

Albus looked over his half-moon spectacles at the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. "Then perhaps telling him simply will not be enough. Perhaps it is time to show him."

Snape paused in his pacing to look at the headmaster. "How? You really don't expect me to-"he paused, deciding to change his wording, "There's no other way around this, Albus. I can't force myself to do what you expect of me. I won't."

Dumbledore smiled briefly. "Like you said, Severus, There's no other way around it."

Snape collapsed in a nearby chair and put his head in his hands. "Draco can be shown some other way. He just has to."

A thoughtful look flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. "Perhaps not directly." At this, Snape's head jerked upwards. "But maybe you could show him indirectly. Tell me, Severus, how much do you trust Draco Malfoy?"

* * * * *

Hermione hadn't expected the Christmas party to turn into a game of hide-and-please-don't-seek, but almost since they'd arrived, she'd been trying to stay away from Cormac McLaggen. She had been going to ask Ron, but she'd had about all of "Won-Won" that she could stand. Asking McLaggen was supposed to be her revenge, but now she was wishing she had asked anybody, anybody else. Even- no! No, she wouldn't have done better to ask Draco; she knew she was supposed to be befriending him, but asking him to a party was something she wasn't ready for. Besides, that would have just slightly ruined the little progress she had made in her mission.

She looked over her shoulder and saw McLaggen coming. Fortunately, she saw someone up ahead she was much happier to see. "Hide me, Harry!" she pleaded, hurrying up to her friend.

"From who?" he wondered.

"Cormac McLaggen."

Harry stared at her with disbelief. "You're here with McLaggen?"

She groaned. "Yes, and believe me when I say I regret it. He makes Grawp seem like a gentleman." She saw McLaggen coming towards them. "Oh no!" She hurried away as fast as she could through the crowd.

"Thank Merlin your brother isn't here."

Hermione turned to see Dean talking with Ginny. The red head rolled her eyes. "I know. What right does he have to tell me who I can see? Especially with him snogging Lavender Brown at every opportunity. No surprise that they're together down by the lake right now."

Hearing that comment caused Hermione to become even more enraged at her so-called friend. Who did he think he was to simply overlook her like that?! It was fourth year all over. Hermione felt as if she was rejected by Ron yet again. And, it was one rejection too many.

No longer in the party mood, Hermione decided to just leave. She needed time alone to think. It seemed as if she'd been doing a lot of that lately. When Hermione had reached the last classroom at the end of the corridor, she heard voices. Curious, she stopped to listen.

It was Snape talking to Draco. At first Hermione couldn't make out the words, but she moved a bit closer, and what they were saying floated to her. She overheard Snape discussing with Draco not only his mission from Voldemort, but also the Unbreakable Vow. Before her mind could process anything, however, she heard movement from the other side of the door, and she knew it was best if she hurried on her way.

Wandering the halls of Hogwarts, Hermione recalled how in previous years, she had helped save powerful magical objects from evil wizards, been petrified by a basilisk, and dealt with many other dangers. But all those times, she had never felt alone. She'd always had her friends. Now, not only could she not tell them anything about her mission, but she also had to deal with Ron's disgusting new relationship with Lavender, trying to learn the secrets of ancestors she'd never known she had, and trying to befriend Draco. But, it was becoming more and more obvious that at least that part of her mission was doomed to failure. Draco was definitely on a mission from Voldemort, a mission he wanted, needed to succeed at as badly as she needed to succeed in hers. Looking back over the past months, everything became obvious to her. The Felix Felicus, Harry's suspicions, everything fell into place, and Hermione knew that Draco was a Death Eater. How was she ever supposed to get anywhere with him now?! Why did Dumbledore even want her to try? She didn't understand.

Walking down the corridors, Hermione couldn't help it; tears started to come, and once they began, there was no stopping them. She wasn't too particularly thrilled to be crying, much less crying in the corridor. She wasn't going to be seen that way if she could help it. Too upset to be completely aware of where she was, she ducked into the nearest room before realizing, too late, that it was Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Myrtle wasn't there, thank Merlin, but a certain blonde Slytherin was with his back to her.

"I don't need Snape's help!" Draco vowed to himself. He looked just as miserable as Hermione felt. A single tear track was on his cheek, and his voice sounded choked. "I can do this," he groaned, "although it would be nice to have someone to talk to, Myrtle!" he shouted to the absent ghost.

_Same here, _Hermione thought. She knew what she had to do. As much as she'd like to just find a different place away from Malfoy, she had to talk to him. Even without her missions, she would have felt like she had to help him at that moment. She couldn't help the sympathy for him that washed over her. Ignoring her better judgment, she spoke up.

"Hey, if you need someone to talk to, you can always talk to me." Draco jumped and spun around. Seeing Hermione there was a surprise to say the least. But he soon covered it up with a glare.

"Who said you could be here, mudblood?"

Like always, she ignored that foul word and tried to smile. "I couldn't help myself. It was like an open invitation," she said, reminding Draco of what he had said to her once. She absentmindedly wiped a tear from her own eye, causing Draco to look at her strangely. "No, honestly, it looks as though you need to get something off your chest."

Come to think of it, Draco had even been shutting out Crabbe and Goyle lately. Or at least, she hadn't seen them together much all year. That was strange; she never saw him without his bodyguards before this year. Apparently they weren't the sort of friends Draco felt he could really turn to when he needed help. And things had to be bad if the only person he felt he could talk to was Moaning Myrtle.

Suddenly, Draco was on the defensive. "How much did you overhear?"

It probably wouldn't be best to let him know just how much she had overheard, not only just then, but also the conversation that took place between Snape and himself as well. "Just you saying it would be nice to have someone to talk to," she answered.

"Well, I didn't mean you."

At this point, Hermione figured it would be best to use reverse psychology. So, she shrugged and said, "Fine. Suit yourself. Wait around for Moaning Myrtle then. I hear she has a big soft spot for handsome men who wander into the girls' room." After the words were out of her mouth, Hermione realized that she basically implied that she thought Draco was handsome. _Well, it's too late now, _she thought. _I just hope to Merlin he didn't catch it._

However, the smirk spreading across Draco's face proved otherwise. "Seems like you're the one needing to get something off _your _chest. Does it feel good to finally admit that you find me simply irresistible, Granger?"

"Oh, yes, Malfoy. You're simply one of a kind," she replied sarcastically.

"Well then, as long as we're on the same page…" he let his sentence linger between them as he made himself cozy on the bathroom floor (after magically cleaning it, of course). "So, you wanted to talk, Granger, so talk."

Hermione gave him an incredulous look. "Me? Talk? However do you mean?"

Draco pointed to a tear she hadn't wiped away. His voice was uncharacteristically soft as he said, "I'm not the only one who needs someone to talk to."

And just like that, Hermione crumbled to the floor in front of Draco, a heart-wrenching sob escaping from her lips. "It's Ron. He's just a downright prat." Sob, sob, sniffle. "I mean, I know I'm not the most attractive girl in the world, but it would be nice if he could at least acknowledge that I _am _a girl. So, he's off gallivanting around with Lavender while I get completely ignored. And Harry's no use. He's decided he's going to remain neutral. And the two of them and Ginny are always at Quidditch practice while I'm left alone to-"she had almost said too much; she was about to tell Draco about her mission! She needed to be more careful in the future. She covered up her pause with another sniffle. "To figure everything out on my own. But now, I'm beginning to wonder if it's even worth the trouble."

Malfoy snorted. "The Weasley King is _definitely _not worth the trouble, Granger."

Hermione couldn't even muster up a glare, but simply replied with, "Don't call him that."

Draco huffed, but didn't respond.

"So what about you?" she asked, "What's got your wand in a knot?"

Malfoy pretended to sob dramatically. "My friends just don't understand. Pansy's off with Blaise and doesn't even notice I'm the man of her dreams," he mocked.

Hermione huffed angrily. "I knew it was a waste to even try to have a normal and civil conversation with you!" she stood up and looked down on him, rage dripping off of every word she spoke. "What possessed me to open up to you, I'll never know. I should have known all you'd do was mock me! You can just drop your burdens on your ghost friend. Or better yet, let them eat you alive, you insufferable ferret boy!"

She turned to leave, but just as she was about to open the door, she heard Malfoy behind her. "Weasley's right about one thing." She turned around, and Draco was looming above her, dangerously close. "He shouldn't acknowledge that you're a girl because you're not a girl at all, Granger. You've grown into quite the woman." Before she could comprehend what he had said, Malfoy gently pushed her to the side and was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

Hermione was alone once more; everyone she knew had left Hogwarts for Christmas break. She had to stay behind so that she could continue to take the memory retrieving potion. At first, Hermione had worried herself over how she would tell Harry and Ron that she wasn't going to the Burrow with them. But then, Harry gave her the perfect alibi.

The three of them were in the common room of Gryffindor Tower, the boys playing wizard's chess and Hermione curled up nearby, reading a book. "Christmas break is coming up," Harry mentioned.

Ron grunted in acknowledgement as he moved his knight towards Harry's bishop. Hermione looked up from her book just in time to watch as Harry's features grew darker. "No doubt Malfoy will be staying behind. Maybe I should stay as well to keep an eye on him…"

That got Ron's attention. He looked up from the game and exclaimed, "But Bill is coming home for Christmas! And maybe Charlie, depending on his schedule. You can't just give up your Christmas just to tail Malfoy! He's not worth the trouble."

Hermione's thoughts traveled briefly to when Draco had said the same thing about Ron. With her thoughts on the Slytherin, Hermione came up with an idea. "Ron's right, Harry," she said, causing Ron's mouth to gape open with shock that she was actually agreeing with him. "You should go to the Burrow." She paused, unsure if she should continue. Biting her lip, she decided just to say it. "I was actually thinking of staying behind anyway… so, if you wanted, I could keep tabs on him a bit for you."

Both boys looked at her in silence, Ron in confusion and Harry with suspicion. "Why do you want to stay behind?" Ron questioned the same time Harry asked, "Why do you want to watch over Malfoy?"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Well, Dumbledore wants me to continue my internship with Snape over break. I was thinking of taking him up on the offer. I figured that if I was already here, Harry doesn't have to be."

But Harry wasn't convinced. "But you've told me I'm obsessed with Malfoy's behavior. So, why are you suddenly so encouraging?"

"Because you're too stubborn to listen to reason, Harry! I've told you to get rid of the Half-Blood Prince's potion book, but you haven't done that, either. So, I figure it's best if you learn your lessons the hard way."

Harry's suspicion dissipated. "I suppose you're right. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?" he smiled.

Hermione smiled back. "Right you are, Harry."

But, had she known then how lonely she would feel now, Hermione probably wouldn't have been so eager to jump at the opportunity. It was only two days in to break and already she was bored to tears. The only person who had stayed behind that she knew even remotely was Malfoy, but after the bathroom incident, Hermione was slightly reluctant to talk to him. She knew that she wouldn't know what to say, which would only make the situation even more awkward.

Sighing with frustration, Hermione headed to the Great Hall for lunch, the only sixth year Gryffindor to stay behind. She sat at the end of the table and began to tuck in. Just as she was about to take a bite, something in her mind's eye switched from reality to…

_Colette strolled lazily through the pavilions set up in the middle of the market square, her skirts swaying with each step. To anyone watching, it would seem as if she was walking aimlessly, but Colette did indeed have a destination in mind. Caelum was just ahead, picking out some apples. Colette's heart leapt just at the sight of him. _

_Once she got close enough, she whispered to him, "Meet me at the clearing tonight. There is much I must profess to ye, beloved."_

_She saw the corner of his mouth quirk upwards into a half smile. "Ye already professed thine love for me; what else do ye wish to profess?"_

_Colette touched his arm briefly before replying. "All will be revealed to ye this eve in the clearing. As soon as ye can get away. I shall be waiting." Then, she turned quickly, moving further down the row, but she couldn't help herself; she looked back towards him, and Caelum was still staring after her, smiling broadly, and about to bite into an apple…_

"Daydreaming, Granger? Funny, you don't seem the type."

Hermione jumped slightly and looked to her left. Draco was sitting next to her, smiling broadly, and about to bite into an apple. Confusion swirled within her. Was she dreaming, or was she still in the vision? Why was she even having a vision? She wasn't sleeping, was she? Hermione pinched herself just to be sure.

_Nope. Definitely awake, _she silently told herself. _I have to bring it up to Dumbledore. How strange that I had a vision while awake! _To Draco, she replied, "One of my many mottos may help you, Malfoy. Don't judge a book by its cover."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "What is with you and books?" he asked teasingly.

"I enjoy books just about as much as you enjoy calling me mudblood," she retorted scathingly. The moment she had said it, Hermione wished she hadn't. Draco's features instantly turned from teasing to furious. Hermione had seen it before many times when they would have their insult wars, but this time, it felt different. Hermione didn't know why now it seemed so wrong, but deep down, she knew that it was.

Draco tightened his jaw and, through clenched teeth, he said, "That's right; you are a mudblood. How foolish of me to forget." With that, he swiftly stood and sauntered out of the Great Hall.

Hermione watched him go, and instead of worrying about screwing up her mission, all her worries went out to one Draco Malfoy.

* * * * *

It was late; the stars shone brightly in the clear, dark sky, and Hermione looked up at them from the Astronomy Tower. "What do you have in store for me?" she wondered aloud, sighing. "Ugh! Why couldn't I be born as a centaur?!" she was beginning to regret dropping out of divination. If only she held out long enough, then perhaps she could have learned a thing or two from Firenze.

Hermione took her gaze off the stars to search the grounds of Hogwarts. She saw something moving by the Forbidden Forest, but it was too dark to make out what it was. She saw the squid in the lake surfacing for a moment before ducking back down. Turning away, she mumbled, "Whatever I'm looking for, it's not out there."

As Hermione left the Astronomy Tower, she realized that she had never felt so lost in her entire life. Being alone a lot lately made her open her eyes and see that something was missing in her life. Why couldn't she turn to her best friends when she needed them most? Why was it that her missions seemed so impossible? Why did Dumbledore let something so huge fall on her shoulders? Was this what it felt like to be Harry? Hermione made it a point to ask him about it once all this was done and over with.

"If the day ever comes..." She mumbled grumpily.

* * * * *

There may not be much information about the DeFontes, but Hermione felt fairly sure there would be something in some book somewhere about the Malfoys. After all, the DeFontes had died out long ago, but the Malfoys were still a powerful family, and of course, being purebloods, they would want to trace their ancestry. There must be something more about Caelum than what Dumbledore showed her before, if the Caelum from the memories was in fact Caelum Malfoy.

She was so absorbed in her research that she didn't notice Madam Pince come up beside her. That woman took the rule of quiet in the library to a new extreme and gave Hermione a scolding look as she caught her breath to recover from being startled.

"I have a message for you from the Headmaster," she said in a whisper, but to Hermione it just seemed like she was mouthing the words. After handing the parchment to Hermione, Madam Pince returned to her work.

Hermione opened the parchment, and it turned out that the letter told Hermione that Dumbledore had some information that would help her. Actually, it recommended she look at _101 Ways to Know You Are a Wizard. _Hermione didn't see what use that would be. If she was at Hogwarts, then she could obviously do magic, and there was no likelihood it would help her with her mission. She didn't see any reason to check out that particular book. She doubted anyone else would either, and in a moment, she realized that was the idea. As she pulled the book out, the others moved aside to reveal a hidden room.

There was no other way to describe it; it was perfect. The room had soft, overstuffed chairs, shelves upon shelves of books, and huge windows that made the room as bright as if she were outside, perfect reading light. And through the windows she could look out over an amazing amount of Hogwarts grounds, the way she'd been doing often lately, still searching for she didn't know what. She wondered if the room was enchanted to allow her to see more than it should be possible to see from one spot.

Turning away from the view, she noticed a stack of books. Dumbledore must have placed them there for her. The top book on the stack, _The Malfoys: Purebloods and Powerful, _seemed to be the one she should read first. The second, _The Diary of Elizabeth Emmerson, _didn't seem important to her mission, but Dumbledore must have wanted her to read it, so she settled in to read that one as well.

She skimmed through the list of chapters in the Malfoy book, and then turned to the most relevant one, "Malfoys in the Fifteenth Century."

_The most influential Malfoys in the 1400's were Cepheus and Marcelle. The couple gained many followers when they preached the importance of maintaining their pureblood status. They were able to do so when their rivals, the DeFontes, mysteriously vanished from the wizarding world. Once the DeFontes were no longer informing the public of their views, many of their followers soon were on the Malfoys' side._

_Because of such opposing views, the Malfoy family were at odds with the DeFontes. None were sad to see them disappear. At first, many believed the Malfoys had played a hand in the downfall of the DeFontes, claiming that the Malfoys were jealous of their power and influence and wanted them out of the picture. But, nothing could prove such theories, and eventually, the rumors were quieted. Such a situation paved the way for Cepheus and Marcelle to gain the power they needed to try to weave out any muggleborn witches or wizards._

_Cepheus and Marcelle believed that in doing so, they were maintaining the pure blood that ran through their veins. Later in their years, the couple decided to retire from speaking publicly and passed the torch to their first born son, Caelum._

Not wanting to get out of the research groove, Hermione quickly turned to the second book, the diary of Elizabeth Emmerson. She skimmed some entries, but two in particular stood out the most:

_I went to the gathering again this morn. Caelum still refuses to speak at them, but his father regaled us all with many tales of those filthy mudbloods. Oh how I wish everyone thought as him. We purebloods would never have to think on the subject again. If only Caelum would join his father so word would spread more quickly. I know my Caelum can be very persuasive. _

_Oh my heart twitters with the sight of him! But, we have yet to wed- me thinks he's nervous for married life, but he has been promised to me since we were just babes in our bassinets. I shall wait a bit more for him to gather his wits. But ere long, I shall be Mrs. Caelum Malfoy, or I will be forced to take his hand by any means I am able._

_I think I hear the Malfoys' carriage approaching! I must bid you adieu! -Elizabeth_

_I saw her today- the little tart who has stolen my love from me. She had a smile upon her face so large, and oh how I wished for it to fall! Colette DeFonte has my nerves all twisted- she mustn't love my beloved Caelum for he belongs to me. Mayhap I will speak with his father and mother to persuade Caelum away from her. After all, wizarding bonds have dire consequences when they are not fulfilled. Surely Marcelle and Cepheus wouldn't dare to lose their first born son to such treachery. Have your time with him now, Colette, for Caelum will be with me quicker than you may believe. -Elizabeth_

Hermione was baffled, and with good reason. First of all, she thought she had read previously, while speaking with Dumbledore, that Caelum didn't involve himself with his parents' endeavors. But now, she had just read that when his parents retired, so to speak, that he took their place. The two tomes obviously contradicted one another.

Secondly, this book implied that perhaps the Malfoys had something to do with the disappearance of the DeFontes. Hermione felt that she couldn't dismiss such a notion as easily as the text had. She knew what the Malfoys could be capable of, some of it from firsthand experience. She couldn't just wave it away.

But most important of all, what the books said seemed a terrible thing concerning Colette and Caelum. Had they stayed together, even though they both had different views? Or, had the horrible Emmerson woman and their families torn them apart? Hermione was becoming more eager yet to solve the mystery. She felt as if it was her destiny to find out what became of Colette, even if all it boiled down to was for her to just know what happened.

Taking a moment to rest her eyes and gather her thoughts, Hermione looked out the windows. Was she having another memory? Was she imagining the image of Caelum? Because she could vividly see him standing on the banks of the lake. She stood up to get a closer view and realized her mistake. It wasn't Caelum she was seeing, but rather Draco Malfoy. It wasn't until that moment that she realized just how much the two resembled one another. In her mind, there was no doubt about it now. Caelum was definitely a Malfoy.

Still watching Draco, Hermione couldn't help but feel a pull to go towards him. She didn't even think about it, and before she knew what she was doing, Hermione had been rushing down the corridors to reach him.

It wasn't until she had almost reached him that she wondered if she should intrude. Maybe it only felt right for her to go to him because she was trying too hard, too fast to try to succeed in her mission. She hesitantly took a step backward, trying not to make too much movement, but she had inadvertently stepped on a twig. A loud snap issued from under her foot, and Hermione looked up with dread.

She saw Draco turn to look at her, and Hermione's heart stopped cold. She had expected him to make some sort of scathing remark to her, but instead he simply turned back to look at the lake once more. It wasn't exactly and invitation, but he wasn't glaring at her and telling her to leave. So, she came closer to him until they were side by side, standing together in silence. Somehow, Hermione realized, they'd reached a different sort of relationship that they once had. She smiled to herself, content with just being there with him.

They stood like that, just staring out at the grounds, for Hermione couldn't tell how long. But eventually, she saw movement next to her and turned to see Draco retreating towards the castle. He had only gone a few steps, however, when he turned himself around once more and said with a teasing smirk, "Nice chat, Granger," before continuing on his way.

Hermione watched him go, that same contented smile stuck on her face.


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione walked into the library and sat down at a table to do some homework. She silently berrated herself for not making time sooner, but her every waking moment seemed to already be occupied. Ever since that day at the lake, Draco Malfoy was everywhere Hermione went. Sometimes he would join her for meals; other times he would find her in the corridors; and sometimes, he would just seem to know where to find her…

Hermione didn't know what changed between them, but Draco seemed to never want to leave her side. Not only did it do wonders for her mission, but Hermione also found herself wanting to be with him as much as possible too. Smiling to herself, she looked up from her text just in time to see a blonde head peek around the doorway.

Draco pulled his head back around the corner, then casually strolled into the library as if he hadn't been looking for her; Hermione knew better. "What're you working on?" he asked as he sat next to her.

Hermione returned to skimming the page of her tome. "Transfiguration essay," she supplied absent mindedly. Then, she saw movement from the corner of her eye and looked just in time to see Draco put his wand away. Suspicious, she asked, "What did you do?"

Draco shrugged nonchalantly. "Magic."

"What _kind _of magic?" Hermione wondered as she rolled her eyes.

Just then, Hermione heard a whoosh, and seconds later, books and parchment landed on the table in front of Draco. "The summoning charm," he answered her with a smirk.

The two sat together in silence for a time, both doing their assignments. But, before long, Hermione had finished all of her work and desperately wanted to return to the secret room Dumbledore had led her to. That was the only problem she saw with Draco constantly around; she couldn't seem to get away long enough to do any research on Caelum Malfoy. She tried excuse after excuse to be on her own, but Draco always had a solution at the ready.

Frustrated, Hermione began to think of a solution. The only thing she could come up with, however, was to just continue researching whether Malfoy was with her or not. It was risky, but Hermione didn't see any other choice. Gaining the courage to actually go through with her plan, she said, "Excuse me for a moment, would you, Malfoy?" The Slytherin waved her off with his left hand as his right continued to scribble across the parchment.

Moments later, Hermione returned to the table with a stack of books from the secret room. At first, Hermione thought that Draco would be curious as to what she was reading and peek at the books. However, he was still busy with his assignments and didn't pay her any mind. Tucking in to _Influencial Pureblood Wizards, _Hermione began to read.

Not far into her research, however, Hermione began to feel a little light headed. She tried to push it out of the way, but the harder she tried, the feeling doubled its persistency…

_The sun was shining brightly on a glorious, cloudless day. In the distance, Hermione could see a large castle sitting atop a hillside and a moat surrounding it. It looked a lot like Hogwarts, though she knew it wasn't. Closer upon inspection of the scene before her, Hermione found Colette sitting under a large willow tree, a picnic at her feet. Another girl sat alongside her, both chewing a piece of bread. _

_The girl looked towards Colette. "So what of your beloved?" she exclaimed excitedly._

"_Shhh! Someone might hear!" Colette whispered as she looked around. She sighed with relief once she saw no one around them, and then continued in fervent whispers. "Caelum has agreed to be honorable. We will be wed in the next town over on the morrow's eve!"_

_The girl gasped. "And what of the Emmerson twit?!"_

_Colette smiled widely. "Caelum professed that he never intended to wed her, more so now that he and I shall have our own family ere long." She touched her stomach with her hand and stroked it gently. "The babe in mine womb deserves as much." Colette's eyes grew wide. "You must not speak of this, Constance! Should my father hear of it, I'll be dead for sure!"_

_Constance gave her a scandalized stare. "I will protect this secret as if it were my own life! Surely ye believe that I would never speak of it?"_

_Colette breathed a sigh of relief once more. "I apologize, cousin. I forgot with whom I was speaking."_

_The two sat in silence for a moment, both pondering of Colette's future. "So tell me," Constance began, "does Caelum kiss fair?"_

_Colette laughed heartily. "Constance! You are truly wicked!"_

"_And you're as stubborn as a hippogriff!" Constance stuck her tongue out before getting up and rushing towards the castle. Colette stood as well and soon began to chase after her cousin, both laughing with great mirth. _

"The hippogriff is eating your collectible broomstick!"

Hermione blinked. Was someone saying something? She looked around her and found a set of stromy grey eyes staring back at her. "What was that?" she managed to croak out. She sat up, not even knowing how she managed to fall to the ground.

"I said the hippogriff is eating your collectible broomstick," Draco reiterrated, his usual smirk in place.

Confused, Hermione replied with, "But that makes no sense."

"Neither does you spacing out the way you did," Draco answered. "What was that all about? One moment you looked like you were thinking about something, quite profusely mind you, and the next you just- fell out of your chair." He looked at her oddly, then continued, "And you said the name Caelum Malfoy."

_Crud, _Hermione thought with exasperation, _how am I going to cover this one up?! _"It's extra credit work for History of Magic," she replied. It wasn't entirely a lie.

"And you chose my family?" he questioned with confusion. Then, he added, "Makes a fair bit of sense, I suppose. My family did influence the magical world frequently. I remember my father telling me that one of my ancestors was the real person who created the Golden Snitch."

Hermione giggled to herself, remembering Colette's memory. "Yeah, I heard that somewhere," she responded, still laughing to herself.

Draco perked up suddenly. "Hey! You tried to change the subject! Well, the joke's on you because it didn't work! What's the deal with you going catatonic?"

Hermione blanched. _ What should I tell him? _"Erm- just daydreaming," she said, shrugging her shoulders and trying her best to be casual.

Draco's glare hardened. "I may be rich enough to buy whatever I want, but I'm not buying that."

Finally, Hermione pretended to faint ignorance. "Well, how am I supposed to know then? I was passed out!" she huffed. "I may be the smartest witch of our year, but I don't know everything!"

Draco shrugged. "Well, if you can't answer that, then riddle me this: why were you digging into my family?" he saw her about to say something, so he added, "The real reason?"

"Mere curiousity, I suppose. Hanging out with you a lot lately has got my mind thinking about who you are and where you come from."

Hermione thought that perhaps Draco would be angry with her for digging into his heritage, especially considering that he never necessarily needed a reason to be angry. That was why she was slightly surprised when all he asked was, "What did you find out?"

She couldn't tell him about her missions of course, but it couldn't hurt to tell him what she had learned about the Malfoys. After all, they were his family. "I was reading up on a Caelum Malfoy. The book said that at first he wasn't very political like the rest of his family, but then became very much so when his parents stepped out of the public eye." She decided she wanted to see if Draco knew anything about him, something she hadn't come across yet or something that wasn't in the books altogether. So, she asked, "Is he one of your direct ancestors?"

Draco shook his head. "My branch of the family traced themselves back to his brother, Perseus Malfoy."

"Did Caelum have any descendants?" Hermione asked, trying not to sound too excited. Maybe Draco could give her a clue as to whether or not Colette's child lived. After all, the memories could be in chronological order, or they could be scattered through time; Hermione wasn't certain. Perhaps, with what Draco could tell her, Hermione could figure out if her last vision was before or after the DeFontes disappeared.

Hermione watched as Draco's eyebrows knitted together in thought. She watched as he brought his pointer finger to his lips, and she watched as he ran said finger back and forth over his bottom lip. The motion was mesmerizing to her, and she couldn't figure out why she couldn't take her gaze away from it.

When he brought his hand back down, Hermione expected to follow the movement. And yet, still she stared at his lips. In the back of her mind, she heard the broken voice of Constance: _Does Caelum kiss fair? _Over and over again, the phrase reverberated throughtout her thoughts. It got so jumbled that she found herself thinking, _Does Draco kiss fair?_

Draco's voice interrupted her thoughts before Hermione had time to dwell on them. "I'm not entirely positive, but if memory serves me correct, he had two children. His wife…"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat as he talked, trying to keep her mind focused on what he was saying, but it was a difficult feat. All her mind was focused on was how his lips moved with every word. _Why can't I stop staring at them?! _She cried silently, willing her eyes to look away but unable to do so.

"…why are you staring at me like that?"

Finally, Hermione was able to take her eyes away from his mouth. She looked up into his eyes, which wasn't any better. She found herself being lost withing the pools of liquid iron. "What?"

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Draco asked again, "And why do I have to keep repeating myself today?"

Still slightly dazed, Hermione replied, "I have no idea." Not knowing what else to do, she went back to researching. In her peripheral vision, she saw Draco do the same, turning just so where his leg was resting against her own; Hermione smiled.

* * * * *

Hermione woke up in her bed, and her first thought was, _It's Christmas Eve. _Her second thought was, _I didn't have any dreams. _Deciding to make a note of it to tell Dumbledore at their meeting that day, she got up and got ready for the new day.

She headed out of the Gryffindor Common Room only to be surprised that the first thing she saw when the portrait of the fat lady swung open was Draco Malfoy. "What're you doing up here?" She wondered.

The two began to walk side by side down the stairs. "Waiting for your lazy bum to wake up," he replied, his well known smirk in place.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just make sure that in the future, you keep your thoughts off of my lazy bum."

Draco's smirk widened further, if that was at all possible. "But why? I rather like the idea of your lazy bum." To prove his point, he tilted his head back far enough to get a good view of said lazy bum. "You know, I've never noticed before, but that bum of yours-"

Hermione swiftly turned and stopped herself right in front of him. She cut him off by replying, "If you say one more word about my bum, you're going to find that yours will be rather itchy."

Draco held his hands up in surrender. "No more words about your bum." She began to walk again and heard him mumble, "But it doesn't mean I won't have thoughts about it."

She just ignored him and continued on her way. Draco caught up to her, and soon, the two entered the Great Hall.

While they tucked in, Draco asked, "So, what's on the agenda today? I was thinking we could go down to the Quidditch Pitch."

Hermione bit her lip. After breakfast, she had her meeting with Dumbledore. She would have to think of a very good excuse for him to leave her be. And just as she thought that, an idea came to her. "I promised Hagrid that I would visit him today, right after breakfast. Maybe we could go to the pitch afterwards?"

Draco scoffed. "Why you actually like that giant oaf is beyond me, no pun intended, of course."

"And, why you actually like being a big jerk is beyond me, Malfoy."

"Oh, come now, you don't truly believe that," he said with a pout.

"Well… not today, at least," was all she could respond.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Ugh! Fine, go see your _friend, _and then meet me at the pitch." With that, he got up and left her on her own.

A few moments later, Hermione made her way to the gargoyle statue protecting the Headmaster's office. But when she opened the door at the top of the stairs, no one was in the room. She just figured Dumbledore was running a little late for their meeting and sat down in a nearby chair to wait for him.

Unfortunately a little late turned into very late and still Dumbledore hadn't arrived. Finally the door opened, but it wasn't Dumbledore.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Snape said as he came in, although the sarcasm in his voice made it clear he wasn't sorry and would probably rather be doing anything else.

"You're not Professor Dumbledore."

"Obviously." He sneered. "The headmaster is currently detained. So, any new information concerning your missions will be given to me. I will pass it along to Dumbledore."

Not exactly what she was hoping for. She already had to see Snape far too often for her liking. Apparently though, there was no way to avoid this, and she reminded herself that Dumbledore did trust Snape.

"The visions are happening when I'm awake now. I thought normally they happen during dreams."

"I'm sure," Snape said, sounding annoyed, "That Professor Dumbledore told you that is not always the case."

Now that he said that, she did seem to remember Dumbledore telling her the memories usually came in dreams, not that they always did.

"Apparently," Snape continued, "Someone or something is now triggering the memories."

Who or what could that be? What was different now than at the beginning of the year? The only thing that came to mind was her improved relationship with Malfoy and the amount of time she spent with him. Could that be the difference?

"I'm making good progress with Draco. The only problem is now it's hard to slip away from him to meet with Dumbledore."

"So the two lovebirds are joined at the hip now?"

Hermione went red. "It's nothing like that at all!" No way. She was barely friends with Draco. Lovebirds? No. No. No.

"Apparently you and Mr. Malfoy are both skilled actors. You could have fooled anyone into thinking the two of you were now a couple."

The red in Hermione's face deepened. She decided to change the subject.

"So, how am I supposed to keep my meetings with Dumbledore a secret if Malfoy is spending so much time with me?"

Snape seemed to consider for a moment.

"You could make the excuse of needing to use the floo to contact your parents. After all, it must be hard being at Hogwarts cut off from mommy and daddy."

"Why is it you always have good ideas, but give advice so sarcastically?"

Snape gave her a look, raising an eyebrow as he said. "I'll be sure to relay what you've told me to Dumbledore. Perhaps you could run along and find your better half; in other words, get out."

Hermione ignored his comment and turned to leave. When she reached the door, she paused for a moment and turned to face her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Snape was staring straight at her, his cold, dark eyes as expressionless as ever. She stared back, a slow smile spreading across her lips. Hermione opened the door behind her, and, still staring at her professor, stuck out her tongue as far as it would go before quickly exiting Dumbledore's office.

Once she was safe on the other side of the door, Hermione laughed to herself, more carefree than she had felt in a long time. So carefree was she that she began to skip down the empty corridor.

Suddenly she felt someone pull her into a dark alcove. In such dangerous times and in a place with everything from acromantulas to house elves there was no way to be sure what was going on, and it was a natural response to start to scream, but a hand came over her mouth and prevented it.

"It's just me, Granger."

Hermione whipped around and faced Malfoy, sparks in her eyes.

"You've given me a terrible fright!"

That smirk on Malfoy's face was definitely annoying.

"I've almost forgotten what that looks like."

The spark in Hermione's eyes faded, replaced by a look of confusion.

"What what looks like?"

"The fight in your eyes."

For a reason unbeknownst to her, Hermione kept hearing Snape's voice repeat _Lovebirds _over and over in her head. _That's not even remotely accurate, _she told herself, but she couldn't deny how Malfoy had the capability to keep her smiling, just as with Harry and Ron. So, were her feelings for him completely platonic, as with Harry, or a bit more, like it was with Ron? As soon as she thought it, Hermione realized that she no longer felt the same way about her red-haired friend. Sure, she still cared about him, but the feelings she once had were now somewhat diminished.

Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, Hermione looked up and saw that Malfoy was still smirking at her. She couldn't deal with where her thoughts were leading her. So, she did the only thing that seemed natural- she ran.

Malfoy watched Hermione run away from him. "This ought to be just the type of fun I was looking for," he said to himself, then called out louder so Hermione could hear him.

"Merry Christmas, Granger."

Hermione paused, nearly to the end of the corridor. She turned to answer, a smile returning to her face.

"Merry Christmas, Malfoy."


	13. Chapter 13

On Christmas morning, Hermione awoke with a smile on her face. She positively loved Christmastime, and not just because she received presents. It was the feeling she got when she would put up decorations or when she baked Christmas goodies. But most importantly, Hermione realized that Christmas made her feel the happiest she could possibly be, and she loved that feeling.

Looking down at the edge of her bed, Hermione found a pile of presents just for her and immediately dove in. Harry had given her a lovey set of quills with matching inks as well as her favorite candies from Honeydukes. Attatched to the back of a cockroach cluster was a letter wondering what Malfoy was up to. Hermione just rolled her eyes at the note and continued on to the next gift. It was from Ron; he had given her a gift certificate for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Molly and Arthur gave her the complete set of _Muggle Mysteries, _along with the annual knitted sweater. Ginny gifted Hermione with _Beauty Care Tips Even Squibs Can Do, _plus a plethora of makeup. As for the twins, Fred and George bestowed upon her oodles and oodles of the latest joke items from their shop. Even Luna and Neville had found something for her. Neville gave her _Botonous Blunders _by Persephone Willowburn, and Luna ordered a year subscription to _The Quibbler _in her name, plus a rather strange pair of asparagus earrings.

But, Hermione's favorite present was from her parents. Beside the yearly toothcare kit, they had also sent a gorgeous necklace with sapphires, her birthstone. Needless to say, she was having a spectacular day thus far.

Hermione headed for the Great Hall for her Christmas breakfast. Just as she was about to tuck in, she heard a voice from above. "What're you so cheery about?" Hermione looked up to find Draco Malfoy staring down at her.

"Well, today is Christmas, you dolt," she replied and noticed a small smile cross his lips. _How strange, _she thought to herself, _that if I would have said that to him this time last year, we would have been in a duel by now. _Instead, Draco merely took the seat in front of her.

"Yes, I suppose it is. I didn't notice," he stated as he watched her take a bit of her oatmeal. "Any special plans then for today?"

Hermione nodded happily. "Yep. I'm going to read the new books I received from friends and family."

Draco waved his hand in dismissal. "You spend too much of your life with your nose plastered in books."

"Hey! I resent that!"

Draco shrugged. "Resent it all you want, but it won't change the fact that it's true." Draco hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I think you should spend the day with me."

Hermione was about to ask why, but stopped herself with one look at his face. Draco may have been trying to hide it from her, but Hermione recognized vulnerability when she saw it. She had seen it too many times in Harry's expression. _He's lonely, _she thought sadly. So, instead Hermione sighed. "What did you have in mind?"

Draco smirked evilly at her. _What did i just get myself into? _she thought with dread as Draco began to lead her out of the Great Hall.

Moments later, Hermione asked her once-upon-a-time enemy, "What're we doing in the Astronomy tower?"

"Well, I know how much you just _love _to learn," Draco replied mockingly, "So, I've prepared a little lesson for you."

Hermione shot him a weary look. "A lesson in what, exactly?"

"Love making, of course!"

Hermione's mouth dropped to the floor as she began to sputter. "Wh- what? Why would I even... with you... I don't need..." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "What're you playing at, Malfoy?"

Draco merely chuckled at the girl's obvious discomfort. "Relax, Granger. I was only joking. Don't get your knickers in a twist."

Hermione put her thumb and her forefinger to the bridge of her nose. "Let's keep my knickers out of this conversation, yeah?"

"As you wish," he retorted, but mumbled under his breath things that Hermione couldn't quite understand. She watched on as Draco held out his hand, two tiny brown figures resting on his palm. His other hand held his wand, already using magic to enlarge the objects.

The tiny brown figures turned out to be two identical brooms. "I'm going to teach you how to fly right."

Hermione took an infetismal step backwards. Indignantly, she replied, "I already know how to fly, thank you very much. All first years learn how."

Draco shook his pointer finger at her. "Already not paying attention, Granger?" he asked, his infamous smirk back in place. "Five points from Gryffindor! I said I'm going to teach you how to fly _right. _As in, correctly."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that Madam Hooch doesn't know how to teach flying?"

Draco was about to argue with the girl before him until a thought occurred to him. A slow smile crept upon his face as he asked, "Are you stalling, Granger?"

"Pft! No! What makes you say that?" But even as she said it, Hermione looked wearily at the broomsticks situated between them.

"Merlin's beard! You _are_ stalling!"

"Am not!"

"Are too! Are you _afraid_?" Draco asked teasingly.

Hermione puffed up indignantly. "Not at all. I merely believe that there are better things I could be doing with my time."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Granger, and get on the blasted broom!" he said as he mounted his own. He watched with amusement as Hermione cautiously walked up to the broomstick and placed one leg on each side.

"What model are these anyway? I've never seen one before."

"Well, you wouldn't, would you?" Draco began, "Considering the fact that this broom isn't even out to the public yet. It's the new Orion's Belt 780. Best broomstick on the market."

"I'll never understand boys and their broomsticks," she muttered. "Well, Malfoy? I'm on this darn thing; so, what do you have to teach me?"

Draco pretended to ponder. "Hmmmm... where to begin?" Hermione watched as his infamous smirk spread across his features. "I've got just the thing!"

Draco watched Hermione as she tried to perfect the maneuver he had just shown her. He had been teaching her everything he knew about flying for hours now, and he had to admit that she was a fast learner. Once she learned the simple tricks, Draco noticed her confidence was boosted. _And her attitude, _he thought begrudgingly. He lazily looped in the air as he waited for what was about to come.

Moments later, there was a loud cry of triumph. "Yes! I nailed it! Shove that in your pipe and smoke it, Harry!" _I've created a monster, _Draco thought as he landed his broom beside Hermione, _but as long as she unleashes her wrath on Scarhead and Weaselbee, I can't complain._

"What's next?" Hermione asked, her well of knowledge never completely satisfied.

As much as Draco hated to admit it, he realized he was begining to see why people tended to flock towards Hermione. Sure, she seemed to come off as being an insufferable know-it-all at first; but that was only the top layer, what lied on her surface. Underneath that, there was a lot to Hermione that some people (like him) didn't take the time to notice.

Draco seemed to realize it now only because she began to take a keen interest in him all of a sudden. Since the beginning of term, she had popped up at random moments of his day. _She's still up to something, _he told himself. At first, he suspected the old bat Dumbledore had put her up to it, to spy on him. But he soon dismissed that idea. If that's what the headmaster had wanted, he would have asked Potter to do it. So that being the case, Draco had asked himself why she was being so nice to him. And, he could only come up with one explanation- Hermione fancied him. Not just as a potential friend, but rather something more. He was shocked to discover that the thought oddly intrigued him. As strange as it sounded, he wanted to explore the notion further.

"I think it's time for a little journey," Draco replied at last, "that is, of course, if you're up for it."

"Where? I'm ready! Let's do it, let's go!" Hermione beamed at him with eagerness, and his heart twitched with an emotion Draco wasn't familiar with.

"Hogsmeade it is then." And with that, Draco zoomed out the window, knowing Hermione was close behind. He slowed his pace a fraction so that the two of them were flying side by side. "How much do you love this," he shouted over the wind, a smirk already in place; he already knew what her answer would be.

"A lot! I don't know why I didn't much care for it before..."

"Well, you didn't have an amazing, awesome, sexy, great-in-bed, and all-around perfect teacher before."

Hermione scoffed. "Madam Hooch wasn't egotistical, either."

He didn't want to admit it, but the slight jibe stung when it came from her. _Never used to, _he thought bitterly, confused by what this all meant. But, Malfoys never showed their true emotions, so he disguised them with much practiced ease. "You're confusing egotism with confidence, Granger." Before she could reply, he added, "Race you to the Three Broomsticks," and sped off with seeker speed.

Moments later, he landed smoothly in front of the tavern and turned to wait. He saw Hermione flying towards him, getting closer and closer. When she was mere feet in front of him, he saw the look of panic in her eyes and realized too late that he hadn't shown her the proper way to land when flying at such speeds.

Hermione crashed straight into him, causing him to fly backwards and her to be catapulted off the broom. Draco had landed on his back quite roughly into a large snowbank, Hermione landing on top of him only seconds later.

Glaring down at him, Hermione told Draco exactly what was on her mind. "If you're so _great_ of a teacher, then why did you fail to show me the most important part of flying... _how to land safely on the ground when flying at the speed of light!"_

Before he could control it, Draco broke out into a fit of laughter. "It's not funny!" Hermione exclaimed, "I could have _killed_ myself!"

In between gasps and gaffaws, Draco responded. "Then it was a good thing I was here to break your fall!" He saw her lips twitching, wanting so badly to break out into a full grown grin. Then he realized she was still on top of him, and just like that, his laughter ceased as he stared intently into her chocolate orbs.

Uncomfortable with the strange emotions he was feeling, Draco covered them up with a teasing remark. "Ready for your _crash-course_ in love making, then? Or, are you just going to continue to lay atop of me in the snow all day?"

Hermione blinked as the full extent of the situation dawned on her. "Oh!" she exclaimed and quickly righted herself. Then, she held out a hand to help him up, which Draco took without really stopping to think about it.

Embarrassed, Hermione walked next to Draco in silence as they headed to the Three Broomsticks. Both were unsure of what just passed between them.

"A butterbeer sounds like the best idea ever right about now," Hermione said at last.

"Then we've come to the right place," Draco replied as a plan began to form in his head. "Let's drink to our heart's content, yeah?"

Hermione smiled. "For once, we're on the same page."

Draco only smirked in reply as they entered their destination. "Here," Draco stated, digging into his pocket and producing a bag full of coins in which he immediately plopped into Hermione's hand. "Order a round for us while I go to the loo."

Hermione began to protest, but Draco ignored her and walked to the back of the room. He looked back once he reached the door to the restrooms and waited until he saw Hermione speaking with Madam Rosmerta before moving over to a door nearby with a plaque reading "For Employees Only."

He was in there for only a few moments, and when he came out, he had more with him than when he went in. Hermione had already found a table and had seated herself with her back to him. Rosmerta was washing a table on the other side of the room, not paying him any mind.

When Draco joined Hermione, he immediately took his goblet of butterbeer and gulped it all down within seconds, the warmth of the liquid sliding smoothly down his throat. Hermione watched on in amusement. "Thirsty?" she asked him.

"Parched." With a sideways glance at Madam Rosmerta, Draco fumbled in his pocket for what he had taken from the storage room. Still making sure Rosmerta wasn't watching, he refilled his goblet once more.

With the bottle safely tucked away again inside his robes, Draco took another drink, one much smaller than his first. Setting the goblet back down, he noticed the incredulous look Hermione was sending him. "What?" he asked defensively.

"Firewhiskey?"she seethed, "You stole her _Firewhiskey?_"

"Live a little, Granger." Seeing how that comment didn't satisfy the witch sitting in front of him, he added, "I'll leave her a _very _generous tip, how's that?"

Hermione grumbled in disapproval. "You still shouldn't be drinking it," she pointed out.

"Then help me out," Draco began, "I have all this Firewhiskey... the only way I _won't _drink it all is if I wasn't drinking _alone._"

Hermione stared at him for a moment. She glanced at Rosmerta, then back at him. Pulling up the bag full of coins Draco had given her before, Hermione fished out a handfull of Galleons and magically sent them to Rosmerta's tip jar on the bar counter.

Draco nodded his approval as Hermione downed what was left of her butterbeer and said to him, "Just fill it up."

_This could be interesting, _Draco thought to himself with a grin as he reached into his pocket once more.


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione's laughter echoed throughout the grounds of Hogwarts. Her and Draco had stumbled their way back to the castle from Hogsmeade, Hermione insisting on walking. "I'm not going to risk FWI," she had said before bursting out into a stream of giggles.

"FWI?" Draco wondered, "What's FWI?"

Between laughs, Hermione answered. "Flying while intoxicated!"

Draco just stared at her blankly. "Why is that funny? I don't get it."

"Well, you wouldn't, would you? It's a muggle reference."

"So, let's apparate then," Draco suggested, not wanting to walk anywhere if he didn't have to.

"And risk leaving an appendage behind? No, thank you. It's not far from here," she said, "You can do what you'd like, but I'm going on foot." And with that, Hermione began to trek her way to Hogwarts. Draco felt obligated to make sure she arrived safely; after all, he was the one who had supplied her the liquor. So, he began to follow her, his feet already protesting his decision.

He managed to get Hermione inside the grounds before chaos had insued. She laughed once more from the snow covered ground she layed upon. Draco stood over her and watched as she spread out her arms and legs only to bring them back into herself again. "Come on, Malfoy! Live a little!" She giggled again as she threw his words from before back at him.

Once she realized Draco wasn't going to join her, Hermione's laughter faded. She jumped up, careful not to wreck her masterpiece and turned her attention to the Slytherin. She pouted as she asked, "Why won't you make a snow angel with me?"

"Simple," Draco began, "it's because Malfoys aren't angels."

Hermione bursted into giggles once more. "No, I don't suppose they are." Then, an idea came to her. "Well, if you're not willing to make one, then I'm left with no other choice but to force you!"

And with that, Hermione had pushed Draco backwards onto the snow; the only problem was, however, that Hermione hadn't been able to keep her balance. She unceremoniously toppled onto Draco seconds later. And that's when the memory came to her.

_The snow was falling peacefully in the still of the night, but the scene was anything but peaceful. Colette had met Caelum in their special spot, ready to run away with him. But, Caelum had different plans for them._

_"We cannot continue like this any longer, Colette! You know of my family, my legacy! I cannot turn my back on that!"_

_Tears streamed down Colette's cheeks. "So, you turn your back on me? On us? What of your legacy nestled within me womb?"_

_Suddenly, Caelum's eyes grew dark and his features hardened. "That _thing _is no legacy of mine!" Then, Caelum turned his back on the woman carrying his child and left her there in the spot that had once brought her so much joy..._

"Resting on top of me for the second time today, Granger?" Malfoy teased from below her, "If I didn't know any better, I'd start to think you're doing this on purpose."

Coming out of the memory had sobered Hermione completely. "Don't be daft," she declared, "Why would I do it on purpose?" Immediately, she hoisted herself up, trying to keep away the unshed tears that were quickly forming in her eyes. _Poor Colette, _she thought, _How could he do such a wicked thing to her? _There was only a moment's silence in her head before the thought came to her no matter how hard she tried to stop it. _Because he was a Malfoy..._

"Because you fancy me, silly! Just admit it! Go on, I won't stop you."

But Hermione was no longer in a joking mood. "How could I fancy you, Malfoy, " she seethed, the harshness of her tone deadly, "after all the cruel and evil things you've done, not to mention all those yet to come?"

Hermione's outburst caught Draco off guard. He had thought that things had changed between them; he was sure of it. He didn't know how or when or why, but he knew that things were different. For him, at least. But, apparently, Hermione still held on to the past. And this fact angered Draco.

"Oh, right! I forgot! I'm guilty until proven innocent!" he responded, his tone now echoing hers.

"You just said so yourself, Malfoy. You're no angel..." She paused, tears now falling freely, "And, you probably never will be. But, just tell me this: how can you do such horrible things? Don't you have any remorse at all?"

Draco didn't know what compelled him to do it, but before he could stop himself, he had wiped the tears from her eyes as he spoke the truth. "Yes," he said softly, "I do have remorse for things I've done. Some more than others." He wiped away more tears as they fell. "But being my father's son, I know that if I hadn't done some of those things, the consequences would have been much worse."

"Like how?"

"No need to get into specifics. Can't we just leave it at that for now?"

Hermione shook her head sadly. "There's going to be a war, Malfoy. And soon. You know it, and I know it. And in war, it's not just about good versus evil, not when it's your friends and family out there fighting it." She paused to sniffle and realized just how close Draco had gotten to her- they were just inches apart. She stared him straight in the eye as she continued, "And I know without a doubt which side I'll be fighting for... I'd like to think of you as friend material, Malfoy, but the truth of the matter is I need to know..." she hesitated, not wanting to ask what needed to be asked. "Are you a Death Eater?"

With the question hanging between them, Draco looked away from her inquiring gaze. He knew that if she was going to still be there for him, which he realized now that he needed her to be, then he would have to tell her the truth, right then and there. He had bragged about it before in the past, but his answer now, to her, was full of guilt and shame. "Yes," he answered quietly, "I am."

"You'll be fighting for Voldemort and everything he believes in?"

Draco sighed. "That's the plan."

The next question she asked took him by surprise. "Why?"

Draco didn't know where the words came from, but they sprang from his mouth regardless. "Because it's my legacy."

He watched as Hermione's eyes grew wide, how her mouth fell open with astonishment, and how she quickly turned away from him to walk back towards the castle.

_What are you doing, you idiot? _Draco scolded himself, _Fix this! _He began to run after her and barely reached her on the steps leading inside the castle. "Granger, wait." he called out.

Hermione stopped and turned to face him. "What?" she demanded.

"Well, it's just that... if you think of me as friend material, then I'm now declaring us friends. And friends understand each other, don't they?"

The harshness in Hermione's features softened. "Yes, they do," was all she said. They both stood there in silence for a moment before an unspoken agreement passed between them: No more judgements until they understood each other completely.

Still in silence, the pair walked inside the castle, but they never made it completely through the doorway- they were stuck in the middle. Turning her quizzical gaze to Malfoy, Hermione asked, "Do you feel that?"

Draco simply nodded, confused as well as to what was happening. Some sort of spell was holding them both in place.

Then, a voice from above began to sing in riddles:

_The only way to break the spell_  
_Is with a little kiss._  
_But the catch to it is this:_  
_This kiss_  
_Must be lips-to-lips!_

The pair looked above them only to see that they both had inadvertantly walked underneath a mistletoe at the exact same time. "Oh, bloody wonderful!" Draco exclaimed, trying fruitlessly to get free. "Just perfect!"

"Stop struggling, Malfoy! You're only making it worse!" When Draco hadn't heeded to her words and ceased resisting, Hermione added, "The more you try to break free, the longer we will have to kiss!"

Draco stopped struggling immediately. "So, what do we do?"

Hermione looked away from him as she said, "The only thing we _can _do... we're going to have to lock lips." _This is wrong, _Hermion thought, _so very wrong! Who would put up mistletoes that would actually _force _two people to-_

Hermione's mind went blank as she felt two lips crashing down upon hers. Her eyes flew to Draco's in surprise. The pair stared at each other for a moment before Draco closed his eyes and bridged the gap that was between them. He gently placed a hand on each side of Hermione's waist to draw her closer still.

Hermione lost all control of her body as she, too, closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Draco's neck. Then, the spell had lifted off of the two teenagers, they could feel it ending, but neither moved to stop the kiss. Instead of letting go, Hermione deepened the kiss; Draco held her tighter.

But then, someone cleared their throat loudly. Draco and Hermione jumped apart quickly, breaking the kiss. Professor Snape stood before them, a sneer already on his face. "If you would please," he began, "keep your displays of affection to places that do not involve innocent bystanders having to watch you play tonsil hockey."

Embarrassment was already spreading across her cheeks as Hermione exclaimed, "But, Professor! it was the mistletoe!"

"If you say so," Snape replied, already continuing on his way down the corridor.

"It was!" the two teens shouted in unison, but it was too late; Snape had already turned a corner and probably hadn't heard them.

Draco turned to Hermione. "What's tonsil hockey?" he asked. Hermione rolled her eyes at him before taking ahold of his hand and dragging him down the hall.

Moments later, Hermione lead Draco into an empty classroom. Once inside, she locked the door and put a silencing charm on it. "What're we doing here?" Draco asked, not sure what Hermione had planned.

"Well, I was thinking," Hermione retorted, "that since you taught me how to fly, the least I could do was to teach you something in return. So, what shall it be?"

Draco scoffed. "There's nothing you know that I don't, Granger."

Hermione just shrugged. "Try me."

Draco thought for a moment; was there anything she knew how to do that he didn't? He looked over the past years, trying to pinpoint anything that he had struggled with but came up empty handed. But, there was something about the previous year that kind of irked him. And it was something a whole group of people had learned that he had not. It wasn't something that was taught in a classroom, but there was a spell that Draco thought of that he didn't know and Hermione did.

"On second thought," Draco began, "there is something you can teach me."

Hermione was delighted. "Alright! Name it."

The words were almost out of his mouth when Draco realized he was emarrassed to admit to Hermione that there was a spell out there he didn't know how to perfom and she did. Plus, he wasn't too keen to remind Hermione of the goings-on that took place the previous year. So, instead, he responded with, "Nah. Nevermind. I've changed my mind."

Hermione took a step closer to him, softening her features as she did so. "It's okay," she told him, "you can tell me."

Draco looked away from her. "You're just going to laugh," was all he said.

Hermione shook her head at him. "I won't. I promise."

Draco looked back at her and searched her face for a sign showing that she was lying; there was none. Finally, he asked, "...Could you teach me how to cast a patronus?"

Hermione thought about it for only a second. She knew that the Order of the Phoenix used a patronus to communicate with one another. However, she also knew that Dumbledore wanted her to befriend Draco, and this was something that would prove to Draco just how much she trusted him with that kind of information. Besides, a patronus couldn't be duplicated by another person. So, she beamed at him brightly. "Of course I'll show you how to produce a patronus," she said, "Besides, I'm kind of curious to see what form yours is going to take."

She sat down in a nearby seat and began her lesson. "First of all, you're going to have to think of a moment in your life where you were the happiest. It can't be just a giddy type of feeling... it has to be one that's pure happiness. That's the trick to a corporeal patronus. The spell work is easy enough, but the feeling behind it has to be the strongest of anything you've ever felt before... Can you think of a moment like that?" she asked.

Draco looked over at her and flashed her a true smile. "There were plenty of instances fitting that exact description that happened only today."

Hermione doubted that anything that happened that day would be strong enough to produce a corporeal patronus, but she held her tongue. She was grateful for the sentiments regardless. "Then let's get started," she replied with a grin.


	15. Chapter 15

Things got awkward between Draco and Hermione since Christmas. The two still enjoyed each other's company, goofed around and the like, but the knowledge that they had kissed remained in the back recesses of their mind; the fact that they had a disagreement about which side they would be fighting for in the upcoming war wasn't completely forgotten, either. Things like that hanging in the air, not being talked about, tended to put a damper on relationships, and theirs was no different.

Hermione was wary about bringing up anything about the Order or Voldemort, but Draco fighting against her was irksome to say the least. Last year, she wouldn't have cared at all, secretly wishing she would see him fall at the final battle as some sort of karmic vengeance. But now, she wanted him to fight _with _her, side-by-side. Hermione couldn't even fathom what she would do if Draco was harmed by a curse. It was the same feeling she got when either Harry or Ron was in danger.

She knew Draco was asked to do something by Voldemort, and she also kew that Draco was frantic about his obvious lack of success; and, Hermione couldn't help but worry about what was at stake for him. She needed to know, not just because of her mission from Dumbledore, but also because she was concerned for Draco himself.

"Tsk, tsk, Granger. Head in the clouds? Pathetic if you ask me." Hermione snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Snape's voice. With all the time recently spent with her Professor while drinking the memory retrieving potion, Hermione soon found out that she had gained some kind of insult immunity. Perhaps the two had formed some sort of twisted banter? Hermione wasn't too sure, and she had no intention on trying to figure it out. She just took it at face value.

"Well, I don't recall asking your opinion," she replied as she set the empty vial back on Snape's desk.

"Opinions don't need permission to be stated. You'll go far in life if you would do well to remember this fact." Snape took the vial from the top of the desk and put it into a drawer. "Dumbledore requested an update since he isn't here to speak with you himself," he said, getting back to business.

Hermione thought a moment. "Well, Draco has become more friendly towards me."

Snape sneered at her comment. "Yes, I know, given your recent snog session by the entrance to Hogwarts. I already told Dumbledore this," Hermione was about to interrupt, but Snape gave her a sharp look that stopped her in her tracks. "He was most pleased and approved accordingly, though I don't share his sentiments."

Hermione was going to object to Snape's assumption, but what he said sidetracked her. "Dumbledore approves? ...but, why?" The words made no sense to her.

"I thought you would be pleased that your mentor thinks so fondly of your relationship with my godson."

"We're merely friends, Snape. Nothing more."

Snape strolled to the door as he retorted, "Do try to remember that I am your professor, and you will address me as such." Then, Snape opened the door and paused for a moment before turning back towards Hermione. "You and Draco may be _just _friends, Granger, but the two of you will become much more soon enough. It has been foretold." And with that, Snape did something completely out of character, something that Hermione had once done to him. He closed his eyes tightly as he slid his tongue out from his mouth as far as it would go. Then, for good measure, he blew a raspberry at her before slamming the door shut between them.

Hermione stood in silence for a very long time. And then... "What?" she exclaimed before rushing out after him.

* * *

Try as she might, Hermione couldn't find Snape anywhere. _He must have been joking, _she thought as she left the Great Hall, _there couldn't have been a prophecy about _me, _could there? _Snape's words replayed again in her mind. "The two of you will become much more soon enough. It has been foretold."

"What does he mean?" Hermione shouted aloud, her words echoing off the walls around her.

"What does who mean?" Hermione knew that voice; it was the same voice that was beginning to haunt her dreams.

Hermione turned to face Draco Malfoy. Thinking quickly, she responded with, "Sir Isaac Newton."

Draco gave her a queer look. "Who?"

"He's a muggle scientist," Hermione explained, "He had a theory that-"

Draco held up his hand to silence her. "I no longer care, Granger," he said before diving into the topic he seeked her out for. "What will you be doing tonight?"

It was New Year's Eve. Hermione didn't really have any plans, considering those whom she usually spent New Year's with were all at the Burrow. "Whatever you have in mind," she said at last, smiling brightly at the thought of not spending the night alone.

Draco smirked at her. "Glad you see it my way," he began, "Meet me on the Quidditch pitch at eight." Before Hermione could ask why, Draco had left her standing alone in the corridor.

Hermione had hours before eight o'clock, so she continued her previous activities; with even more vigor and determination, Hermione set out to find Professor Snape.

* * *

_Bugger, _Hermione thought as she listened to what Hagrid was saying. She hadn't been able to find Snape anywhere in the castle and had then began to search the grounds, still coming up with no sight of him. And then Hagrid had spotted her.

Now, it was almost time to meet Draco, and Hermione didn't know how to let Hagrid down gently that she had to leave; he seemed so lonely now that Harry, Ron, and her had neglected to take Care of Magical Creatures. But, she had been saved from making an excuse by the loveable giant himself.

"So sorry, Hermione, buh I need ter check on Aragog. He's not doin ter good these days."

Hermione all but jumped up from her seat. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Hagrid," she said, though she didn't particularly like the acromantula of the way he thought of her friends as meals. "Give him my best regards," she added politely. She hugged the great bear of a man before practically rushing to the Quidditch pitch.

But once she got there, Hermione couldn't see Draco at all. _Perhaps he's running late, _she thought, deciding to stand in the middle of the pitch to wait for him. Hermione had just reached the center, however, and suddenly Draco appeared a few feet before her. "Where did you come from?" she asked incredulously.

"The Aurors and respective authorities are still trying to figure that out," he replied with a smirk as he reached behind him and pulled at thin air. "Come on in."

Hermione looked at him hesitantly before obeying and walking forward into an expansive foyer. A fireplace was off to the lefthand side, a fire already roaring merrily. "What is this place?" Hermione asked him breathlessly. Wherever she was, the place was obviously rolling in Malfoy galleons.

"It's a tent, silly. I put a lot of charms on it so we can bypass the silly don't-be-out-of-bed-past-curfew rule."

Hermione was impressed that Draco had put so much thought into the fine details, but she couldn't get over what he had called the place she was currently standing in. So, she exclaimed, "A tent? This is _not _a tent!"

Malfoy scoffed. "Of course it is. My father and I used one just like this when we went to the Quidditch World Cup. This is our spare, of course. Mother had wanted me to bring it with me this year, just in case-"

But Hermione hadn't been listening to him; she had begun to explore the rest of the tent. She had never been inside the Malfoy Manor, but she imagined that the tent was just a mini version of where Draco had grown up. And, she was speechless;

It wasn't until she took a peek at the parlor (tents do NOT have parlors!) that she regained her voice. "What's all this?" she asked, gesturing towards tables filled with all sorts of foods and drinks. Decorations for the New Year hung from the walls, and there were even muggle board games stacked neatly in a corner. "Our entertainment for this evening," Draco replied, his smirk in place.

Hermione bypassed all the appetizers and went straight for the games. She grinned as she found the one she was looking for. Holding it out in front of her, she asked excitedly, "Can we play?"

Draco gave her a look. "Seriously?" Hermione responded by nodding her head emphatically. "Alright. Set it up."

* * *

Hours later, and Hermione's excitement had all but vanished. She looked over at all of Draco's money with immense dislike. "How'd you get so good at this game, anyway? It's muggle! This is _so _not fair!"

Draco purposely rearranged his properties, jut to rub it in at how many he had. "It's all about business, Granger. Not too difficult, considering I've had the proper business training. After all, I'm the one taking over Malfoy Industries once my father retires." His look turned sheepish as he added, "Actually, this is my first time playing Mono Polo. I went to muggle London today to buy all these games." _For you, _he added silently.

Hermione sighed with frustration. "It's called Monopoly, Malfoy. Not Mono Polo."

Draco waved his hand in dismissal. "You say tomato, I say potato."

"Tomahto," Hermione corrected.

"What's a tomahto? Some other muggle dealie?"

"Ugh! Nevermind!" Hermione shoved what few properties she had left in Draco's direction. "Here. I don't want to play anymore."

Draco smirked at her. "Don't like to lose, Granger?" he asked.

"Not even! It's just that we've been playing for hours... it's getting late."

Draco checked the time; it was half an hour before midnight. "We've been playing for three and a half hours?"

Nodding, Hermione replied with a simple, "Yep."

Draco took out his wand and watched as all the pieces flew neatly back into the box before it sailed across the room to join the other games. "It'll be New Year's Day soon," Hermione announced, suppressing a yawn. She stretched out further on the couch she was currently occupying, causing Draco to be squished on the other end. Without even thinking about his actions, Draco took ahold of her legs and set them on top of his lap. Hermione sighed contentedly now that her body was at its full length.

"By this time last year," Draco began conversationally, "I was completely drunk off of Firewhiskey." He laughed to himself before continuing his story, "Before midnight even struck, I had successfully made a fool of myself by singing Celestina Warbeck songs completely out of tune, asking everyone at the party if they would like a broomstick shoved up their arse, puking more than a newborn baby, and then passing out like the dead." He paused a moment before adding, "I think I like this better."

Hermione suddenly sat up. "Oh yeah? Think that's bad?" she asked him. "Well, last year, I was at the Burrow with all the Weasleys and Harry. Fred and George decided they would booby trap the place, and before midnight, I was tarred and feathered, purple, had antlers sprouting from my head, grew an eleventh finger, and couldn't stop barking like a dog everytime I opened my mouth!" She paused to think, knowing that she was forgetting something. "Oh! And my legs were glued together."

Imagining the scene Hermione painted for him, Draco began to laugh. "Oh, Merlin! I would have paid good galleons to have seen that!"

There was a decorative pillow behind Hermione's head, and she threw it at him. "It wasn't funny!" Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Harry and Ron thought it was hilarious too, until midnight came around. When I went to traditionally kiss them on the cheek, all the spells and charms had transferred to them." She laughed at the memory. "They didn't wear off for a good six hours!"

Draco chuckled along with her. "Nevermind; I take it back. I would pay to see that instead. Next time I see Fred and George, I may have to give them my kudos."

"Be sure that you do," she replied with a warm smile. Draco's heart leapt to his throat at the sight.

Just then, fireworks, streamers, and confetti erupted out of the tip of Draco's wand, sounding that they had finally reached New Year's Day. Looking at the girl before him, he said, "Happy New Year, Granger."

Hermione's smile was genuine as she replied, "Happy New Year, Malfoy."

And before she knew what was happening, Draco had leaned in to kiss her. It was only for a moment, but it was soft and gentle. When he pulled back, Draco's smirk was already in place. "As per tradition," was all he said before picking up the pillow she had thrown at him earlier and tossing it back at her. "Payback is a bitch, Granger."


	16. Chapter 16

As much as Hermione was enjoying Draco's company, she was excited to see Harry and Ron again. Christmas break had come to a close, and Hermione stood outside Hogsmeade Station to wait for her friends; Draco was there with her.

"So, what happens when Scarhead and Weaselbee come back?" he asked while waiting for the train to arrive.

Hermione looked over at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"This thing between us," Draco began, motioning between them, "Does it exist only behind closed doors?" he wondered.

Hermione hadn't really thought about it. She was so used to putting all of her effort into her missions since the beginning of the term that she hadn't thought about what the improvements in their relationship would seem like to others. She didn't understand their relationship herself.

"I'm not sure," she said at last. "Is that how you want it?" Once the words were out of her mouth, Hermione wanted to take them back. Her heart suddenly stopped beating, wary of what his answer would be; she waited with bated breath.

"That would be awefully exhausting, don't you think?"

Hermione's heart began to beat once more, more erratically than normal because of the implications of Draco's response. But, then it sank once a realization came to her. "Harry and Ron won't approve," she said with dread. Snape's words came back to her. _Dumbledore was most pleased and approved accordingly. _She wished she could say the same for her two best friends.

Draco smirked. "All the more reason to not hide it then."

Hermione slapped him playfully on the arm. "No, seriously," she started, "The could hold a grudge against me for years if they wanted to!" Another thought occurred to her. "besides, if we're noted to be friends, that wouldn't exactly be safe for me, would it?"

Draco furrowed his brows in confusion. "How so?" he asked.

Hermione shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable. "Well," she began, "With your... chosen profession, I don't think it wise to openly be chummy." She wa speaking, of course, about him being in leagues with Voldemort.

Just then, the Hogwarts Express arrived, and people began to stream off of it in groups soon after it came to a stop. Hermione took a few steps away from Draco as her eyes began scanning the crowd for Harry and Ron.

And suddenly, they were right before her. "Hermione!" they both exclaimed in unison. She spread her arms wide, and Harry and Ron both sprang forward to hug her. Then, the trio were walking back to the castle, all talking wildly about their time spent apart.

Draco watched them go from the shadows; as much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew Hermione was right. Not only did she seem to need her friends now more than eer, but it also just screamed bad idea to let everyone know just how friendly they have gotten. Information like that would surely reach Voldemort; and, if that happened, Hermione would be in grave danger.

Frustrated with the whole mess he had gotten himself into, Draco growled to himself before sauntering off back towards the castle as well.

* * *

The trio were currently in the corner of the Gryffindor common room. "What suspicious activities was Malfoy up to since we left?" Harry asked Hermione once he knew no one else was listening in.

Hermione bulked at the question. She had sent Harry an owl with a vague note about Draco's behavior, hoping that would quench his curiosity; apparently, it hadn't. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair as she replied, "Well, he hasn't been to the Room of Requirement as far as I know."

"How often did you tail him?" Ron asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Actually, Ronald, I didn't tail him... he invited me to accompany him." She said it only because she wanted to gauge their reactions. The conversation she just had with Draco had really gotten to her.

"He did what?" The two exclaimed in unison.

_Just as I suspected, _Hermione thought, _They're freaking. _Both stared at her, their mouths slightly agape. "Well, he's obviously using you," Ron stated at last.

"I beg your pardon?" Hermione cried just above a whisper. "No, he is not!"

"Ron's right, Hermione," Harry began, "Why else would he suddenly take interest in his enemy?" He looked at her with concern. "Everyone knows you're smart. He probably is building you up to pick your brain later. Whatever he's up to, he's going to trick you into helping him."

Hermione looked over the past few weeks, but couldn't see where her friends were coming from. Then again, her friends didn't know the whole story, either. It was _she _who had started this weird friendship between her and Draco. But, she couldn't possibly let Harry and Ron know that.

"Tell him to sod off," Ron supplied.

Harry shook his head. "No, wait. Maybe she should continue with it, find out what Malfoy is up to. Now that she's aware that he's using her, maybe she can figure out what he's been doing in the Room of Requirement."

Hermione scoffed. "Please don't talk about me as if I weren't here, Harry." Harry gave her an apologetic look in response.

But, Ron had ignored her comment completely as he asked, "What do you say? Want to play spy?"

Both looked at her expectantly. At first, she was annoyed. How dare they first presume that Draco was only using her for her mind, and then proceed to encourage her to do their spying for them? But then, she realized that her friends were giving her a perfect opportunity to spend time with Draco without any repercussions, should she want to; she didn't know. So, she looked back at her friends evenly as she replied, "I'll think about it." Then, Hermione left her chair and began heading towards the girls' dormitories.

* * *

_Hermione watched as a picture formed in her mind's eye. Colette had coem into view full force as the sun was setting in the background, multiple hues blending one into the other. Colette stood alone atop a cliff, watching the view before her changing. Her hair danced lightly in the soft breeze, and her arms were wrapped securely around her ever growing belly._

_The scene would have been picturesque if Hermione wasn't able to see Colette's expression. Her mouth was thin and tight, set firmly in a scowl. Her eyes were void of any emotion whatsoever, staring blankly at the setting sun. She looked downright sinister._

_But then, Colette's expression began to change. At first, Hermione was hopeful that perhaps somethign had changed, that she'd be happy again somehow. But, the sneer crossing Colette's lips proved that that scenario wasn't true. Hermione hung out with Draco enough to know that a sneer like that could only mean one thing- Colette had just thought of something devious..._

Hermione sat up straight in her bed as she took a deep intake of breath. She firmly clamped her hands across her mouth to stifle the scream she couldn't stop from escaping her lips. Her only thought was, _Colette must have thought of a way to get her revenge on the Malfoys..._

* * *

The term had started with full force. Hermione strolled into the DADA classroom with eagerness; she missed the feeling she got when she was learning something new. She took her normal seat next to Harry and Ron, her smile full of excitement. Harry looked as if he was about to comment on it, but he must have thought better of it. Instead, he asked Hermione, "Have you given any thought to what we talked about yesterday?"

Hermione's smile faltered slightly as she replied, "I don't think it's such a good idea."

Ron seemed peeved. "What? Why?"

"Because," Hermione responded with a shrug, "I just don't think I could."

"Come on, Hermione!" exclaimed Harry in a hushed tone, "Once we find out what Malfoy is up to, then we can stop him!"

"You _need _to do this!" Ron interjected.

Hermione thought a moment. If she openly displayed any sort of relationship with Draco, she could easily become a target for an attack by Death Eaters. However, she knew that Draco was still continuing to work on the task Voldemort had given him. If she could get him to reveal it to her, Hermione could prevent it from happening. Besides, she was within the safety wards of Hogwarts. What could possibly happen to her? If she could get Draco to tell her, she could possibly turn the tables in their favor during the war. She was already trying to get Draco to change his mind about fighting for Voldemort; it would help if she knew what he was asked to do.

"Alright, fine! I'll do it!" She said at last.

The boys high fived each other. "You should start right now," Harry told her.

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "Go over there and talk to him."

But just then, Snape sauntered into the room, stopping all hushed whispers immediately. "I've just been informed," he started with disdain, "that Dumbledore would like the Professors to promote school unity by mixing the houses. Therefore, I've prepared an assignment for such purposes." He sneered as he looked out at his students. "Turn to page six hundred and sixty six."

The students did as they were told as Snape waved his wand to put the instructions on the board behind him. "You will be practicing with a pre-assigned partner," He continued. Then, he gaze settled on Hermione, and his sneer deepened. "Granger, your partner will be Draco." He smirked at her widely, which she had returned; only the two of them were in on the secret as to why the pairing was so important. Then, in the next instant, Snape was calling out other names to be paired together.

Hermione took her belongings and moved over to sit next to Draco. He smirked at her in greeting. "Can't get enough of me, can you, Granger?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, put a cork in it, Malfoy," she said, though she was still smiling. "We have work to do."

Malfoy simply chuckled. "Not much work to be done, actually. We've got this in the bag." He leaned in closer so he could whisper. "Good thing you just taught me how to cast a patronus. Now, I won't make a fool of myself by getting it wrong on the first try."

Hermione smirked as she leaned in closer still. "You'll still make a fool of yourself, Malfoy. Everyone still remembers fourth year, and your patronus coincidentally enough takes the form of a ferret!"

The scowl on Draco's face was priceless to Hermione. "It's a jarvy," he moped.

"If you say so."

Not to be deterred any longer, Draco replied, "Well, either way, ferret or jarvy, it's still better than a stinking otter."

Hermione slapped his arm playfully. "We should still utilize this time to practice." The two began to cast the spell in turns, stopping here and there to laugh at something the other had said.

From across the room, Harry and Ron silently stood next to each other, watching Draco and Hermione's interaction, their own partners forgotten momentarily. "Hermione wasn't lying," Harry finally told Ron, "They are pretty friendly, aren't they?"

Ron's fists were clenched when he stated, "I'm sure it's just a show, Harry." But the tone in which he said it led Harry to believe that Ron didn't believe his own words either.

* * *

Hermione left the library, arms laden with study materials, a grin spread wide across her face. She ahd successfully and accurately completed all of her assignments in a timely matter, even though Draco had kept distracting her throughout. "Now that you're free, let's go do something," he said to her as he exited the library behind her.

"I can't," she replied, walking a little faster, "I'm going to meet up with Harry and Ron."

"Why?"

Hermione stopped and turned towards him. "Because we're going to play some wizard's chess."

Draco gave her a quizzical look. "That's only a two player game," he pointed out.

Smiling, Hermione answered, "I know. Harry and I are going to play each other. We're more equally matched. Ron always plays the winner, though it never really matters who it is; Ron always wins."

Draco shrugged. "Fine. Whatever," he smiled down at her, "but tomorrow night, "he lifted an unruly curl and began to play with it between his fingers, "you're all mine." Then, he was gone.

Hermione watched him go before heading to the Gryffindor common room. She gave the fat lady the password before stumbling inside. She had half expected to see Harry and Ron sitting at a table with the chess board already set up between them. But, this wasn't the case.

Instead, Harry was nowhere to be found, and Ron was sitting on a sofa, his lips firmly planted against Lavender Brown's. It wasn't the fact that she was watching Ron snog someone who wasn't her; no, it was the fact that he could openly snog someone in public whenever he wanted to. Draco's face flittered in the back of her mind. A lot of problems would ensue if she openly snogged him in front of her friends. Something Snape once said to her came to mind, and Hermione wasn't thinking rationally as she repeated them. "If you would please keep your displays of affection to places that do not involve innocent bystanders having to watch you play tonsil hockey!" She slammed her belongings on a nearby table and placed her hands upon her hips.

Ron had enough sense to break the kiss with Lavender to look at his friend with bewilderment. "What're you going on about?" he asked, the confusion he felt evident in his voice.

"You!" Hermione exclaimed. She lifted a finger to point at Lavender. "And her! This whole castle isn't your domain, you know! Some people don't need to be seeing you snog everytime they turn around! Give it a rest already!" The other students occupying the common room applauded Hermione's speech; apparently, they too, were sick of seeing Ron and Lavender go at it.

Lavender stood up, dragging Ron up with her. "Come along, Won-Won." She glared at Hermione. "She's just jealous that we're so in love, and she has nobody." She lead the way past Hermione, and out the portrait hold.

As Ron past Hermione, he said, "Just let me know when you're going to start acting mental again, so I can be prepared." Then, he continued after Lavender.

Just then, Harry stumbled down the stairs from the boys' dormitories, wizard's chess board in hand. He spotted Hermione and gave her a lopsided grin. "Ready to lose your bum, Hermione?" he looked around the room before asking, "Where did Ron run off to?"

Hermione sat in a nearby chair as she shouted, "UGH!" with immense frustration.


	17. Chapter 17

The next day, Hermione had just settled herself in for breakfast when the morning post arrived. She nibbled on a piece of toast as she watched all the owls zoom to and fro, delivering parcels and newspapers to their respective owners. One stopped briefly in front of her to deliver her copy of _The Daily Prophet. _She placed the appropriate amount of sickles into the pouch on its leg before it zoomed off once more, and Hermione began to skim over the front page headlines. Harry and Ron sat beside her, eagerly discussing the upcoming apparition lessons.

Hermione was only half listening to their conversation when another owl swooped down just low enough to plop a letter in her eggs. Slightly baffled, she picked up the parchment, recognizing almost immediately Draco Malfoy's perfectly neat penmanship.

_Granger-_

_Think you could meet me in the library during your free period? There's something I would like to show you.. _

_-DM_

Hermione scribbled her reply, a quick affirmative, before sending the owl back to Draco. "Who was that from?" Harry asked conversationally.

Hermione shrugged. "Just a friend." Harry gave her a strange look but left the conversation at that, for which Hermione was grateful, and she delved into her thoughts, wondering what Malfoy could possibly want to show her.

The day passed rather uneventfully thus far, and Hermione was very pleased once her free period finally came around. Normally, she could find something interesting in every class, but she noticed that over the years, as she began to learn more and more, it was harder for her professors to teach her something that she didn't already know. This caused for much boredom in class for Hermione, where it once held intrigue. So, she happily made her way to the library and settled in at her favorite table. Waiting for Draco, she decided to get a start on her History of Magic essay.

So enthralled in her studies was she that Hermione hadn't heard Draco come up beside her moments later. "Ever the vigilant student, eh, Granger?" he asked, taking the seat next to her.

Hermione jumped, her heart beat racing, before she realized it was who she had been waiting for. "Do you always do that?" she wondered, placing a hand to her chest to attempt to slow her heart rate.

Draco shrugged. "Do what?"

"Sneak up on people. Or, am I the only one?"

As he set his messenger bag atop the table, Draco replied. "Nope, you're special. It's just you." There was a moment of awkward silence before Draco reached into his bag and pulled out two books. "Here. These are for you. I wrote my mother requesting that she send them to me from our personal library."

Hermione gingerly grabbed the books bestowed before her and opened the one on top; it was a diary. "What're these?" she asked in confusion as she leafed through the pages.

"Well, that one there is the personal diary of Perseus Malfoy. I remember reading it when I was a child, and I know that there are some references to his brother, Caelum. And the other one," he said quietly, bringing the second book she held slowly to the top, "is a more detailed account of my family's genealogy. There are family trees, even the ones that are not directly related to my branch, as well as mini biographies of sorts. I figured it would help you out with your extra credit assignment."

Hermione stared at the books before her. If there was one single clue contained in the pages of what became of Colette and Caelum, just one, and she was sure that she would probably love Draco Malfoy forever. Needless to say, the gift left her speechless.

"Normally in these circumstances," Draco began, watching her reaction very closely, "it's customary to say a polite thank you…"

Hermione looked up from the books she held in her hands into the stormy grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. "Thank you," she said quietly, but with much meaning. She continued to stare at the man before her for a moment before she realized he was staring back. Blinking back to reality, Hermione looked away quickly as she put the books in her bag along with her History of Magic essay.

As she did so, Hermione saw from the corner of her eye Draco nodding his head slightly as if he had just decided something he had been debating with himself. He took a deep breath and exhaled it loudly. "I also wrote to my mother about you."

Hermione was slightly surprised at this admonition. "Oh? What… what did you say about me?" she asked at last.

"Well, I didn't mention you by name, but I told her of someone here who was being far nicer to me than in past years and that we became friends of sorts over the Christmas holidays. She was very interested in the subject to say the least."

"What did she say?" The curiosity had gotten the better of Hermione just then.

Draco smirked in reply. "That's something that will remain between my mother and me, if you don't mind."

"I guess I can respect that," Hermione replied, looking down at her knapsack that contained two books that could possibly turn everything around. Smiling, she added, "Thanks again, for the books."

"Well, we can't have the brightest witch of our year not getting proper information for her assignments, now can we?"

Hermione laughed brightly. "No, I guess not." Just then, a spasm went throughout Hermione's body, and she sneezed. The action brought Hermione's leg in contact with Draco's, and as she concentrated on it, she was suddenly very aware of every cell within that particular part of her body.

Hermione looked at Draco and saw that he was staring at their touching kneecaps. Then, way too slowly in Hermione's opinion, he brought his gaze up to hers. Hermione's breath hitched in her throat at his intense stare. She had seen his gaze turn intense over the years she had known him; intense glares, intense disgust, intense loathing. Even lately, she had witnessed looks of intense turmoil, intense frustration, and intense doubt. But this was something different, something Hermione couldn't quite place. This type of gaze had never been directed at her before.

Even though it was mere seconds, to Hermione, it seemed like an eternity had passed between them. And then, suddenly, Draco tore his gaze from hers and patted her knee as he said, "Come on. We have a whole free period left to wreak havoc. Let's go do something stupid."

Laughing, Hermione replied, "Hermione Granger doesn't do 'stupid.'"

"There's a first time for everything, Granger." Draco swiftly stood and strolled out of the library. Hermione's feet had a mind of their own as they followed him. She suspected that right then, in that moment, her feet would have followed him to the ends of the Earth if he wished it. And, to be honest, she was beginning to wonder if that was really such a bad thing.

The pair didn't say anything as they walked down corridor after corridor, which meant that Hermione was left to mull over her thoughts. Reflecting on everything that had transpired between them, she realized that while she was attempting to fulfill her mission from Dumbledore, she let herself become too involved, too personal.

Hermione glanced at Draco, but he was looking straight ahead, his face blank. Looking behind his mask, however, she could see that he, too, was deep in thought. There was an infinitesimal crease, barely even there, between his brows, and Hermione suspected that not many people, even his closest Slytherin friends, would have ever noticed it. But, she had, and that was what Hermione was worrying over.

Hermione was beginning to get closer to Draco; she knew it was her mission to befriend him, but her feelings for him were much more than that. Once that thought crept its way into her head, with great clarity, Hermione realized why she had been constantly thinking about it, thinking about him. She, Hermione Jean Granger, had a serious case of a crush… for Draco Malfoy.

"Granger?" The sound of Draco's voice brought Hermione back to reality quicker than an elastic band snapping back into place.

"Yes?"

"Are you coming, or what?" Taking in her surroundings, Hermione saw that Draco was about ten paces ahead of her, looking back at her with a queer look on his face. "Why do you look like… what's that muggle phrase? Like a deer in headlights?" Apparently, when she realized that she fancied the guy in front of her, she had stopped dead in her tracks, staring wide eyed at nothing in particular.

"I had just made a startling realization is all," She answered before quickly adding, "So, what are we going to do anyway? Where are you leading me?"

A mischievous smirk was well in place when he replied, "We're taking a page out of the Weasley twins' book, Granger. I think it's high time we had some fun around here, don't you?"

Knowing the things that the Weasley twins have done in the past, and what they were capable of, Hermione paled a little. "What exactly do you mean? What are you planning?"

Draco reached into his messenger bag only to withdraw a box. "In here," he retorted with a shake of the box, "is every possible, decent joke item from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. And we," he motioned between the two of them, "like I said before, are going to wreak havoc."

"What? Are you crazy? If we get caught, we could be-"

Draco raised a hand to stop her protests. "Come on, Granger. Live a little." Suddenly, he became very serious as he dropped his voice an octave lower and said, "I don't know about you, but lately my life has been far too serious for my liking. I could use some major excitement right about now."

Hermione gave him a quizzical look. "So, why did you choose joke items that are not only contraband here but also ones made by members of a family that you openly hate?" Her tone wasn't accusing, but simply curious.

"Are you going to do this with me or not?"

Hermione thought a moment and then smiled. "I will… but only if you answer my question."

"I guess that'll be a 'no' then." But, Hermione held her ground. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited patiently. In response, he rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Fine, I'll tell you." For the first time, Hermione saw him look embarrassed; well, as embarrassed as any Malfoy would allow, anyway. "The Weasleys' are not my favorite people, but Fred and George have created the best joke items by far. The ones from Zonko's seem like child's play next to their inventions, alright? Happy now?"

Grinning widely, Hermione simply said, "Immensely," before taking the box from Draco and opening it. "So, what do we have to work with?"

* * *

"Pygmy puffs were hopping all over the castle!"

"Someone replaced all the telescopes in the Astronomy Tower with the ones that punch people! I still have the black eye to prove it!"

"The sixth floor corridors are still completely dark!"

Hermione smiled to herself as the gossip flew about the Great Hall. Everybody seemed to be talking about the pranks Hermione and Draco had set off all about Hogwarts. Little did they know that it was only the beginning.

"Harry, did you hear about the classroom full of first years?" Ron asked excitedly.

"Nope, mate. What about 'em?"

"McGonagall left the room because Peeves was aggravating the students again, so she went to talk to Dumbledore. And when she was gone, of course none of the first years were working on transfiguration. And someone managed to switch all their wands with trick ones without any of them noticing!' He chuckled a bit before continuing, "The next thing they knew, they were all holding a rubber chicken!"

"Where did their real wands go?" Harry asked.

"McGonagall found them all in her desk drawer," began Ron. "Whoever pulled this off is a genius!"

Hermione puffed up a bit at the unintentional compliment. Draco had been right, however misguided his logic may have been. It was true that she shouldn't have participated in a scheme that could have caused her imminent expulsion, but, Merlin, it had been worth it. She had been worrying ever since the beginning of the school term whether or not she would be successful in her missions as well as being scared for Harry. They all were on the brink of war, and Hermione feared that when the time came for Harry to fight Voldemort that he wouldn't be ready for it. It felt good not to have to worry about it now, though it was certainly in the back recesses of her mind.

Hermione was pulled out of her thoughts when there was a loud pop originating from further down the Gryffindor table. Looking to her left, Hermione laughed with everyone else as Seamus Finnegan molted his temporary canary profile back to his normal, Seamus self. Pointing in front of him to a plate of sweets, he exclaimed, "They're canary creams!"

"Blimey," Harry began, "someone certainly pulled out all the stops today. What's next? Wildfire Whiz-Bangs?"

Right on cue, the fireworks began exploding above them. Hermione knew that it was Draco that had set them off; looking towards the Slytherin table, she saw Draco settling back into the throng. Most students were too busy looking at the display of pops and whizzes of light to pay much attention to him, but Hermione saw that Harry had been watching him take his seat as well. Then, he turned towards Hermione herself, his gaze questioning. Feeling uncomfortable under her friend's intense scrutiny, Hermione refused to look at him, but Harry wasn't about to let her off the hook so easily.

"What was that about, Hermione?" he asked, his tone trying to remain nonchalant.

"What do you mean, Harry?"

Harry slammed the fork he had been holding down on the table. Hermione assumed it made a loud clatter, but it was drowned out over the thuds of the fireworks and everyone's excitement. Leaning in closer so that no one would be able to overhear, Harry replied, "You know well what I mean! I saw that look you just shared with Malfoy!" He looked towards Ron who was seated across from them. Ron was looking up at the display, clapping wildly. Harry followed his line of vision just as another firework exploded above them, illuminating the Great Hall. "…..Was this your doing?" He accused.

Hermione merely bit her lip and didn't reply. She didn't have to; Harry had been friends with her long enough to read the truth in her expression. Harry's voice wasn't accusatory when he began again, but rather filled with concern for the woman beside him. "What's gotten into you, 'Mione? This isn't like you…."

Hermione shrugged at Harry's question. "What's wrong with having a little fun every now and again?" She chanced a glance at the Slytherin table just then and happened to lock eyes with Draco. Had he been watching her this whole time? Smiling, she continued, "It feels good to let loose. With everything going on, I haven't done it as often as I probably should have." She looked once more to the Slytherin table, but Draco seemed to be occupied with his plate of food just then.

Harry watched his friend as she looked over at his enemy with a smile softly formed across her lips. He watched as her eyes softened just a little when they settled upon Draco; he noticed how her shoulders slumped ever so slightly as her body exhaled. "So, you and Draco…," he began, and Hermione jumped as if she were surprised that he was still there with her. "You two are getting on well, yeah? How did that happen?"

With one final boom, the fireworks display ended, and everyone started clapping furiously. Shrugging once more, she replied, "Well, I suppose somewhere between Prefects' Duties and paying close attention to him during break, something just… clicked."

"Nah, I don't buy that. There's been something going on with you since the beginning of term, something you haven't been telling us." Harry lowered his voice so that no one else would be able to overhear. "I'd like to talk to you more about this later. Just you and me."

Hermione dreaded speaking to Harry alone, but she had agreed to meet him in the library later that evening. She could only assume that he wanted to discuss her friendship with Draco. Harry's keen interest on the subject left Hermione feeling uneasy. _Well, it's bound to come out sooner or later, _she thought to herself, _Might as well make it sooner, and get it out of the way._


End file.
